Bicycle shops?

[lbmango.livejournal.com]

I looked back through the bicycle tag about a year, and haven't seen anything too useful.

I've recently decided to replace my 25 year old bike. What local bike shops do people recommend? I know about Ace between Davis and Porter. I also work in Burlington, so I'm going to look at LLBean, the Cycle Loft in Burlington, and probably REI... what others should I make sure to look at?

I have a car, and can probably borrow a bike rack from someone if I need to, so it doesn't strictly have to be D-S...

thanks.

Comments

[ron_newman]

there's also Bicycle Exchange on Mass. Ave. near Porter Square, and Paramount Bicycle in Ball Square. And the really old-fashioned Park Sales on Somerville Ave, about halfway to Union Square.

[dcltdw]

Quad Cycles, on Mass Ave & Brattle St in Arlington.

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

I use Harris Cyclery.
(I live several states away. They are worth the trouble to me)
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/

[srakkt.livejournal.com]

Seconded, as someone who does not live several states away.

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

third.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

Bikes not Bombs in JP is pretty good in that you'll find a really decent frame that's equipped with serviceable-yet-low-end new parts. It is also guaranteed to not be a bomb.

[lbmango.livejournal.com]

oh. that's good! I hadn't even considered the possibility that I'd be riding a pipe-bomb!

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

It's a serious problem:

[turil.livejournal.com]

Depends on what kind of bike you're interested in! :-) Ace (and the other Wheelworks in Belmont, which is larger than the Somerville shop) is great for fairly expensive road and racing bikes. Broadway Bicycle School and Bikes Not Bombs are great for awesome refurbished commuter/city bikes. The suburban stores and big box sports shops (REI, Cycle Loft, etc.) are probably better for moderate-priced mountain bikes, touring bikes, and commuters/city bikes (I got a really great moderate-to-high priced city bike at REI several years ago, a Buzz, by the Novara brand, which is REI's house brand).

Old school places like Park Cycles (near the intersection of Park Ave and Somerville Ave towards Union Square is good for good deals on cheap used utility/beater bikes. The bike I'm riding now (up in Maine) was an older Trek solid frame mountain bike that was converted to a commuter bike (smoother and smaller tires) that was cheaper than buying off of Craigslist.

One thing I'll suggest is checking out bikes with disc breaks. They are absolutely fantastic for dealing with Somerville's steep hills, rain, and snow. They really are like a miracle, as far as I'm concerned.

[ifotismeni]

echoing the disc brakes recommendation. i DON'T have them and i really am sad about it :(

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

All good choices ... my personal preference is for Broadway Bicycle School, on Broadway (duh) in Cambridge, between Inman and Central Squares.

[hissilliness.livejournal.com]

You shouldn't get a bike. Everyone knows that bicyclists are all elitist assholes and scofflaws. Heck, most compact car drivers are elitist assholes, too. You need at least a Ford Flex or larger to definitively prove that you're not an elitist asshole.

What's that, you can't afford one? Elitist asshole!

[lizzielizzie.livejournal.com]

Troll++

[hissilliness.livejournal.com]

I'm not even sure what would distinguish an object-oriented version of trolling.

[lbmango.livejournal.com]

It could just be an integer troll... Troll could be a counter of how many trolls she's seen...

[lbmango.livejournal.com]

Well, that's my OTHER car... My new bike will have a bumper sticker on it that says "My other vehicle is a giant gas guzzling SUV." you know, just 'cause I like balance.

And actually, the only way in Boston to prove that you're NOT an elitist asshole is to never leave your house. If you use any mode of transportation whatsoever, you're an elitist asshole...

I suppose I COULD just move back to Schenectady...

[contradictacat.livejournal.com]

There's a difference between being an elitist asshole and just living in an asshole.

Why yes, I am from upstate NY, why do you ask?

[turil.livejournal.com]

I have a bike sticker that says "bicycles: the original SUV" because bicycles really were originally sport and utility vehicles. :-)

[lbmango.livejournal.com]

ah, but they don't guzzle gas, so it doesn't help me B-)

And actually Horses were for sport and utility before that, as were chariots...

[turil.livejournal.com]

Horses aren't actually vehicles! But you've got me on the chariot thing...

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

horses still are :)

[rosiewoodboat.livejournal.com]

See, what people don't realize is that hissilliness IS himself a bicycle.

[lbmango.livejournal.com]

Doesn't matter. We DID know that he is an elitist asshole so... meh either way...

ETA: oh, I totally misread that as "IS himself a bicyclist" rather than "a bicycle." In that case I'm MUCH more impressed, and yes, bicycles themselves (unless they are riding themselves or self propelled in some other way) not assholes... I don't know about elitists because I've never had a conversation with one... At least not a long one.

[rosiewoodboat.livejournal.com]

yes, a bicycle. The object and the person are selfsame.

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

JRA cycles in Medford, just off of 93 on Salem Street (rte 60). http://www.jracycles.com/ They're really nice, really know bikes, and really close to where I live!

[tamalinn.livejournal.com]

You can borrow my bike rack since I borrowed your 25-year-old bike. :) I just need it back before August 3rd.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

I shopped for (but didn't buy) a bike at that LL Bean. They bike shop people were super nice, they just didn't have quite what I wanted at the time and they didn't try to push me into something that I didn't want. The one thing I will say is that, with LL Bean, if the purchase doesn't work out for you for any reason, you can return it for a full refund at any time.