I have a friend who is slightly intrigued by the idea of replacing her heavy 1980s bike with something new. But if she upgrades, she wants to be darned sure she understands what she's buying and why. Is there a bike shop in the Alexandria (VA) area (or nearby) that TE'ers can recommend that won't simply try to sell her a bike, but will first spend a bit of time with her explaining what's what? (i.e. Why Bike X is worth $X and Bike Y is worth $Y?)

My guess is that she would be in the market for something in the $1000-$1500 range (sale price). Not entry level, but not high-end either.

She's in super shape at age 60 from walking and working out. If she gets a new bike, she'll take it as seriously as she does the rest of her exercise. (When she was last 'into' biking, she regularly did 30-50 mile rides every weekend.)

Thoughts about where she should head?