PDW Dealer Profile: Bicycle Space, Washington, D.C.

I learned to love riding bicycles in Washington, D.C.

I moved to DC to pursue my first real big boy job after college and quickly found that a bike was the best tool to get around the city. Driving and parking a car is insanely expensive and riding the bus is straight up slow--and also filled with some pretty crazy people from time to time. Beyond the sheer pragmatics, one of the things that solidified it for me was a vibrant urban cycling scene with plenty of great and inclusive people.

I just returned from a visit out to the other coast and I am happy to report that cycling culture is alive and well in Washington, D.C. A big contributor to the local cycling scene is one of our favorite shops, Bicycle Space. Visiting Bicycle Space brought back a lot of great memories and reconnected me with some of the best people on bikes in that city.

Great service isn't just lip service: Bicycle Space provides free access to tools and a repair stand (and air!) for folks in need of a quick adjustment or flat fix.

Bicycle Space has a knack for maintaining a clean aesthetic: the inside of their shop is clean, fairly well organized (they just moved into this location a couple of months ago), and BUSY. The shop was teeming with people on both Thursday and Friday afternoon all the way to closing. Their custom-made helment and bike displays were also pretty neat.

Thursday Night Shop Rides: Bicycle Space leads a Thursday night social ride replete with a cargo bike soundsystem and solid jams. I got to go along on a loaner bike and had a blast. It's been a while since I could just ride over and stop by the White House. Also of note, this was NOT a critical mass ride. People were respectful, positive, and the ride leader that night, Jordan, kept the vibe fun. At one point he gave everyone a heads up that we were about to pass a bar with a huge patio full of patrons. Jordan encouraged our group to cheer which led the folks at the bar to cheer and suddenly both sides of the street were cheering and screaming as we rode past. It was a pretty enjoyable and exciting experience.

Thanks a lot to David, Jordan, Chris, Aaron, Megan, Marco, Paul, Russ, and Erik for showing me a great time. Keep up the great work Bicycle Space!