Performance Bicycle (1667 Rockville Pike, Rock ville; 301-468-0808; performa n c ebike.com) has the area’s widest selection of bikes and gear plus a huge catalog and online store. College Park Bicycles (4360 Knox Rd., College Park; 301-864-2211; bike123.com) is known for racing machines but has plenty of recreational bikes. Jill DiMauro has turned funky Proteus Bicycles (9217 Baltimore Blvd., College Park; 301-441-2928; proteusbicycles.com) into a paragon of service.
Spokes Etc. (1545 N. Quaker La., Alexandria; 703- 820-2200; three other Virginia locations; spokesetc.com) has a wide variety of road and mountain bikes plus a solid repair department. Bikes@Vienna (128-A Church St., NW; Vienna; 703-938-8900; bikesatvienna.com) is the best shop for recumbent bicycles and folding bikes for travelers.
City Bikes (2501 Champlain St., NW; 202-265-1564; citybikes.com) has great service, and its used-bike selection supplements a small but high-quality selection of road bikes and hybrids.
