My favorite bike shop is just down the street from where I live. Bike Emporium isn't huge and it doesn't carry every single product imaginable. But the friendly, expert service and community hub bring me in nearly every week.
Rolling up to the shop, there's a little automatic door button on a post. Sure, it might not be as fancy as a camera sensor, but tapping the big square metal button with your front wheel makes you feel like you know the secret code, like you've found your way like Harry Potter into a magical space that no one else sees. Plus, you can just roll your bike right in without having to wrestle with a spring-loaded door.
Inside, the hardwood floor creaks a little as you enter, but the whole shop smells like rich coffee and fresh rubber. And, okay, maybe a little bit like oil and lube, too.
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Jill, the owner, seems to always be there, greeting you by name while she helps somebody set up a Garmin, or dial in their suspension. (How can she always be in her shop and yet log more miles than anyone I know?) The other staff are a mix of veterans who have been there for years and college-age kids who will probably be gone in a few months. But they all know and love bikes, and they all have the almost eery knack for remembering your name. I don't know if that's Jill's contagious personality or a trait that she specifically hires for. In any event, it feels good to roll into the shop and have folks call you by name.
Bike Emporium carries Specialized and Trek, so you can always check out the latest super-high-zoot super bikes, even take them for a test spin, but Jill also has bunch of cool, smaller brands, too. It seems like every time I go in there's some new crazy sock company I haven't heard of before. You can buy Castelli and Assos and Rapha, if you like, but you can also dig around in the spare parts bins in the back.
Community service
The walls and rafters are packed with memorabilia — a signed Eddy Merckx jersey here, a first-year RockShox fork there. When local pros retire, something of theirs always seems to make it onto a wall somewhere.
Cycling Club
Your perfect bike shop…
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