Spokes Etc. Bicycles

20 years ago, when I lived in this area last time, I bought a couple of Trek hybrids from the bike shop that used to be in this location. A few years ago, I returned to the area and thought maybe it was time to upgrade the now tired-​looking steel bike. Spokes was great, there salespeople are knowledgeable and friendly without being aggressive or pushy. Their techs are very friendly (unlike the grumpy guys at the old shop). A good selection of accessories, although they clearly push the Trek brands and sub brands.
I am by no means a serious cyclist, but for me, the place is perfect.

The technicians are great. This is focused on the sales staff. Sales is the weak link here. The know very little about the products they sell so do not rely on them for «expert» advice. Their job is to move product whether or not it is right for you. Which would be OK if they were selling something that is not inherently dangerous — which is a bike capable of going faster than 15 miles per hour. Also, do not rely on their advice for accessories or after market products. Use the web for some of that. Or better yet, if you can get one of the techs to talk to you about what you are buying and why (your requirements) then you have a better chance of getting what is right for you.
A bit of advice on 5 star rating here. They «smell» like they were written by Spokes.

I’ve been in the store quite a few times since moving to the area, have had nothing but good experience! Very polite and friendly. And very good to see a new female employee too. Great Job ;)

Visited the shop yesterday to have my bike tuned up. Was a bit cautious after reading the ⁶⁄₅ Unilocal review. But I found all sales people (including 2 women) to be quite attentive without being «pushy». The service department took a look at my bike, did some minor adjustments and lube and told me not to waste money on new tires or tubes as my current set were in good form. I highly recommend Spokes Etc bike shop and will definitely be back in the future!

I was just doing my daily bike ride down the GW Parkway trail, and as usual, I stopped briefly at the bridge over the marsh stream, with my bike parked as far to the edge as possible. Shortly thereafter, as I stood next to my bike, a young woman on her bike — who was obviously not looking ahead in any way — plowed directly into me, knocking me and my bike flat. (If the bridge chain had not been there, we both would have landed in the water.) While she stopped, she made no effort to help me up (I am 71 yrs.), and simply said, «Oh, I’m sorry.» I said I could already feel I was bruised all over, and I didn’t know if my bike was rideable. At which point, she just hopped on her bike and continued her ride! Since my bike was in fact not rideable (chain was off and handle bar misaligned), I had to limp, pushing the bike, the mile back to Spokes. Now here is the encouraging part of the story. The man at Spokes promptly took care of my bike’s problems, even taking it outside for a test drive to make sure it was ok, and when I inquired about payment, he said, «No problem… there is no cost.» This is the second or third time that I’ve brought my bike to the Spokes on Belle View Blvd. and had such amazing service. Between myself and my son (who lives in NJ) and friend (who lives in Baltimore), we’ve bought a total of 5 bikes at Spokes. I can think of NO
other merchants I frequent who give more superb and excellent service!

I’m just really unimpressed.
If I had two bits of advice to give to bike stores, it would be this:
1. Give good service.
2. Employ women.
I walked in to this store recently, on the advice of my husband, who suggested it was decent and convenient. Convenient, kinda (you’ll have to walk over from an adjacent parking lot), but decent… well…
Walked in with two bikes — my 5-year-old’s, and my road bike. Walked back to the service counter. There were four guys working on bikes and nobody waiting at the counter.
Stood there. Nobody looks up or acknowledges me.
Maybe 5 minutes later, a manager (who looks like a kid, no biggie, but really) whisks by and says, «Be right with you.» I say, «Okay.»
Stand there and wait.
Stand there and wait.
Look at the counter.
Stand there.
Look around.
Stand there.
An older lady walks into the store. She apparently needs to exchange something she bought. The manager immediately springs to her assistance and asks her what she needs, walking her around the store in person and taking care of the exchange. I remain at the counter, unacknowledged and unhelped. Meanwhile, two additional customers are waiting at the service desk with their bikes.
Eventually, they take the two bikes back. I wasn’t sure if they were going to assess them and fix them, or what. Turns out, they did the adjustments on the spot. Would have been nice to know, in terms of waiting time. They didn’t charge me to tighten a bolt on my son’s bike, but they charged $ 20 for a 2-​minute adjustment (I know, but I didn’t have the tool for it) on mine. Whatever. They didn’t inflate the tires, didn’t even wipe off the grime on the part they worked on. Adjusted a part for $ 20. The manager proceeds to basically chastise me as we leave, warning me that my front tire is underinflated, and that I really need to fix that before I ride.
(Heeeeey, you know what’s a good place for doing that? A BIKE SERVICE DEPARTMENT!)
So as I’m leaving, I ask where the tubes are. They tell me they’re behind the service counter. (REALLY? Are these big-​ticket items, like razor blades or iPhones?). Okay, fine. $ 10 EACH. That’s the most I’ve ever paid for a tube. And when I get home, I realize that the guy who sold me the tubes — who also worked on my bike — sold me short stem tubes, which won’t work on my racing wheels. FOR CHRISSAKES.
I was in here another time with my toddler, killing time while my eldest was in class around the corner. We were trying on bike helmets, then walked down the aisle of bikes to kill more time. I was TAILED THE ENTIRE TIME.
What the hell do you think I’m going to do? Steal a bike, strap my kid to it, and race out of the store?
You’ve lost a customer. No actually, you’ve lost a family of customers.

Friendly and knowledgable. I’m a novice bike rider and I never once felt like they took advantage of that. The chain had come off my bike when I was out for a ride while downshifting to first gear. I also had done a pretty good job of getting the chain stuck while trying to fix it myself. I called to see what they thought the problem was and how much it would be to fix. He said if it was the problem he thought it was (and it was), it would only be about $ 15! MUCH LESS than I thought it would be to fix! PLUS I also was expecting to have to leave it to get it fixed. NOPE! I showed up and had it fixed while I waited and was back out the door in 20 minutes! GREAT experience! I will totally take my bike back for regular maintenance.

Customer service was awesome. Needed a crank rethreaded and explained what would be needed/​done from them. I believe their service guy that helped me was Jake. Seemed knowledgeable and spoke to me as an equal. Have had to many shops talk to me as if I didn’t know anything or I was clueless. This shop will have me repeat services if ever needed.

I only stopped by here out of curiosity on my way home this early lunchtime, but wish I could have stayed longer.
I was greeted pretty quickly on stepping in, and the bloke who helped me was very friendly and courteous.
I explained my interest in an inexpensive hybrid bike that I could take along the various paths in parks, as well as off-​road along woody trails etc.
He walked and talked as he led me over to a few bikes, and we discussed his recommendations and the features on the bikes he suggested would suit me best.
He seemed very knowledgeable about bikes, and best of all he did not at all try and push an expensive bike on me. He went solely by the preferences I explained to him, and he pointed out a couple of bikes that he felt would work great.
I opted to browse a little more, and he joined the other employees at the rear of the shop, and they were all laughing and talking and clearly having a great time at work. Good for them!
And to top it off — they were playing Motley Crue’s Dr Feelgood! Dude — I have yet to be in ANY shop that plays decent background shopping music — and these lads were pumping out Dr Feelgood!
I had to make a quick exit for home, but I have made a mental note to get back first chance I get and look into one of the bikes that was recommended.
Give them a try — great customer service and very friendly staff!

Excellent service! I’ve been doing business with spokes now for years. Fair prices + expert service = great bike shop.

I have a Toys R Us bike that my son rides and it had a flat tire. I took it there, and in less than 20 minutes they had me out the door. There was no snobbing the better bikes over my $ 99 18 speed, and the folks put in better parts on the wheel and adjusted the gearing for the bike.
I can’t say I’ve been treated better anywhere else. Heck, when I was at Toys R Us to buy the bike a few years ago, it took forever to get a sales person!

I’ve had two experiences with Spokes Etc and my expectations were exceeded each time. Most recently I purchased a 2013 end of year clearance bike from their website. I called to confirm when I could come pick up the bike, they said it was in their system but that they couldn’t find it in the store. The general manager came to sort out the discrepancy and in the end offered me a 2014 bike for the same clearance price since they could not find the original 2013. I’m extremely happy with the bike and the price as well as the way the store handled the problem from the beginning.
My first experience was when I brought in my old bike to get clipless pedals installed. They did it for me while I waited and didn’t charge me anything even though the bike and pedals were purchased elsewhere.

I will buy all my bikes from this location in the future. I arrived in a little panic this morning and they took such good care of me. I totally jacked up the brakes on a kids bike trying to assemble it myself (bike purchased elsewhere). I needed it to be fixed up very quickly as I was on my way to deliver the bike as a gift to a child in need through a social services Holiday Giving program. They understood the situation, were so nice, worked on it right away, and DID NOT even charge me. Talk about Christmas spirit. They made my day– and more importantly– a little boy somewhere is beaming at his new bike. Thanks spokes!

I’m a bike novice who wanted to take my bike in for a «tune up» before a triathlon I found myself talked into. I walked in after work when the shop was busy, and they still took it right away, checked it thoroughly, put air in the tires, and sent me on my way– wishing me luck and not charging me a dime. What an awesome place. I’ll be back for all of my cycling needs, and so will my friends.

This is a good-​sized store with a huge workshop area. I didn’t think the number of available bicycles was as large as some places — including other Spokes — but the variety is equal and they’re happy to have things brought in from elsewhere. The location also means some great, relatively diverse areas for test rides. As at all the Spokes, the staff is friendly, patient, and knowledgeable.

I don’t have anything hugely positive or negative to say about Spokes. They seem like a great shop and I’ve visited a few times just to pick up some odds and ends (tubes and what not).
They seem knowledgeable but I feel that their prices on bikes and repairs may be a bit on the high side.
Talking with some guys there, they are mostly friendly and ready to answer your questions but I have a feeling that they cater to the more knowledgeable rider.
Super close to the Mount Vernon trail which could be very handy.

I purchased a hybrid today at the Quaker Lane location and very satisfied with the level of service I received! I don’t know much about bikes and Andrew was very knowledgeable and helpful in helping me find the right bike for my needs. He also fit the bike for me and helped walk it to my car. I will be back for maintenance and totally recommend this shop.

My brother and his fiancé had purchased two brand new bikes at this store. He suggested that I stop in. This review is for Drayton that works in service in the rear. I had an older early 90’s model Schwinn bike that I literally took out of the weeds. Brought it down and had Drayton look over it. He was very helpful and really friendly. I’m new to bicycles, but I’ve got a lot of mechanical experience working on large equipment and cars. Cosmetically, the bike had a few flaws, but was still in great shape. Rather then dropping 1K plus on something new, I figured I’d see if I could get what I have repaired just to see if cycling is my thing. Drayton was honest and helped me budget wise get to where I wanted to be. He suggested a lot of ideas to get me thinking such as «try this out and make a small investment just to see if cycling is for you.» Often service guys will only suggest what they need to and no more. Dray went out of his way,
To save me money, he suggested what I work I needed done and I had no problems. I was not all that impressed with the service manager that I saw on two different occasions. No «hello, how may I help you,» he just kind of sat at the front service counter looking at
Please… I realize front of the house can get busy, but the place was slow when I went in a few times, and on 3 different occasions two front of the house staff and a guy with dreads didn’t even acknowledge us. Meh.
With Dray’s knowledge, exceptional customer/​people skills, honesty, and great advice, he should be in the front of the house. As for new bikes and selection, I think when the time is right I’m going to find a shop that has better selection. Drayton will definitely be my mechanic when I cross that bridge, no pun intended :)

Nice selection and impressive bike repair facility and staff.
I was in the market for 2 entry level road bikes at a fair (in my opinion) price (no more than $ 1k/​ea) and had all intentions of walking away from there with two new bikes. We were saddened to find out they were not willing to help us unless we could increase out budget by almost ¹⁄₃.
We were specifically not looking for something to «grow into» as honestly I am not even sure that I will be continuing with this hobby past 1 event. There are plenty of quality bikes on the market in the sub $ 1k price range. If you were to sell me a bike now and I were to outgrow it next year would I not be back to maybe buy or upgrade my current bike?
Not a very encouraging first trip for someone looking to make an investment. Big Wheel in Old Town was the last place we ended up going to. There is far less of an elitist thing going on over there.

With rare exception bike stores come in three flavors:
1. Large retail spaces in a strip mall — close to suburbs but far away from actual trails.
2. Small to medium stores very close to trails to help recreational riders and commuters
3. Independent bike stores that are crowded beyond belief with gear. They can be located anywhere.
This particular Spokes etc, fits into the the second category, about 3 blocks from the popular Mount Vernon trail, and seems to have a continual stream of people coming in looking for small repairs or looking for a bike to ride along the trail.
I’m a fan of Spokes Etc in general, but not so much of this particular location. Like other Spokes, it stocks Specialized and Trek bikes. It’s averaged sized as far as bike stores go but seems to have less in stock than other similar sized shops, with the exception of commuter and trail bikes. Bonus points for stocking several types of women specific bikes.
I’ve had work done on a bike that I purchased at this location several times, but the mechanics were helpful but only as much as they needed to be. The work was solid, including truing tires (spot-​on) and helping diagnose why I having problems shifting, but I have never felt welcome or welcomed here as the Quaker lane location. Perhaps this is because there is more turnover among the sales staff and mechanics.
That said, if you are looking for a trail bike or a commuter and don’t mind spending a little more for professional, but not especially friendly help, give this Spokes a try.