Quote Originally Posted by Kalidurga View Post
Whoa... Was that with or without all the traffic and antique shoppers?

Welcome to the board, Allison. Cool to see another DC/Md area person. Just out of curiosity, are there any good bike shops over your way? I've hit just about every shop in MoCo and FredCo, so I need to check out (haunt, stalk, whatever...) the ones over closer to B'more.
Thanks! The historic part of Ellicott City is a ghost town early on weekend mornings - there are mornings where the only things I see through that stretch are parked cars and green traffic lights! When it is crowded with traffic and antique shoppers, I don't want to be there in a car... and certainly not on my bike! There are some other fun hills in that area, but I'm not confident enough to navigate the twists and turns on those hills with any sort of speed.

In terms of local bike shops... it depends on what you're looking for, but I have not found a one stop shop. For service (and special orders), I really like Bike Doctor in Linthicum, just a few minutes from the BWI loop. While the store is small and they don't have much stock, Jeff and his staff have always been great and ordered things for me without a problem. Race Pace opened a large store in Columbia that has a better than average selection of women's apparel, but I've not been thrilled with the service in the store. The Race Pace in Ellicott City has (or at least had) a female mechanic, and I've been told that she is very helpful, but I haven't had a chance to talk to her.