Light Street Cycles

Penny the owner of Light Street Cycles is awesome! We spent a couple of days in Baltimore at a B&B, Rachael’s Dowry which is conveniently located near the inner harbor. Penny met us on her bike for a leisurely 15 mile bike tour of the inner harbor and surrounding area. She is passionate, very well versed and proud of her city, Baltimore. We chose to take a bicycle tour instead of a boat or other tour and were we ever glad. We felt we REALLY got to know Baltimore and experience all of the key points that make this city so unique and special. There is no way we could have possibly found all of the special areas on our own. She guided us on a very safe route so that we weren’t in traffic or on bad roads with pot holes. We live in Chicago and when we have friends visit we have taken them on a professionally guided bike tours, so whether you’re from Baltimore or visiting I would highly recommend taking one of Penny’s Bicycle Tours.

We had a great experience! We rented a few bikes for the kids and they were so quick to help and even allowed our dog to come in as we got organized! Thanks, penny!

This place is awesome! I needed a repair while I was in town and they were extremely quick, nice and honest. I have an old folding bicycle and they had two people working on it to fix the problem. When I’m back in town, I won’t go anywhere else. I wish they had a shop near me!

I paid this shop to ship a bike from Baltimore to Alabama for a ride. They told me they would send me a tracking number when it shipped. They didn’t send a tracking number and it never showed up. I was able to recuperate the cost of shipping, but the bike was gone. So, in retrospect, they basically ruined a ride and stole my bike. Probably a good place to buy gear locally, but I wouldn’t let your bike out of your sight around these people.

Love the owner and Cory was great to work with! Felt a little like they wanted me to keep spending even when my bike was working just fine– but overall they did a good job. And they have a 30 day warrantee on all their repair work :)

This is a tiny local shop but the owner is very friendly and accommodating. Not a lot of space in the store but they still have a decent selection and will let you test ride most models. My first experience with them was renting a road bike for a race, and the owner was flexible with the pick-​up and drop-​off times as I was traveling from out of state and racing over a weekend. She also took time to make sure that it was fitted properly and that I had all the necessities for a safe ride despite the last-​minute nature of my request. All rentals also go towards bike purchases if you choose to do that, which is great. I have popped back in to ask advice about where to ride in the city and what type of bike I should purchase for the future and she has been very informative without being pushy. I unfortunately had to leave before purchasing a bike but I will definitely go back to see what new models they have acquired when I’m back in town.

Even after offering to buy a tool at way over msrp, they would not lend me a headset wrench to make a quick adjustment. I went to Race Pace and they helped me out. I also bought the tool there for $ 5 less than Light Street Bikes was asking.

If you are just getting into biking in Baltimore, Light Street is the place to find what you need. The owner has been around forever and knows what bike will work best for you. I had a fairly new bike that I needed to sell and they were great about helping me to find a buyer. This is not a flashy high priced mega store, just a good neighborhood bike shop that knows their stuff and knows Baltimore. The owner, organizes weekly rides for all levels around the city which is great if you are new here.

I was visiting, from out of town for the Kinetic Sculpture Race and needed to rent a bike for the day to ride along. I had hoped to rent a recumbent, since that’s what I usually ride in California, but the bike store that rents those was too far away logistically, so the hotel I stayed in recommended Light Street.
They were very friendly and helpful on the phone and assured me that I would be happy with the «comfort» bike I could use… and…I was! I took a short walk to the store from my hotel and found them easily. The bike was in great shape and I was able to maneuver around in Baltimore with ease, even though it’s nothing like where I am accustomed to riding. The helmet was great and I was able to attach my tiara to it :), and they gave me a choice of combinations on the bike lock they encouraged me to rent. Penny even gave me a bicycle tour of the area so I would know where I needed to go the next day to meet up with the race start and guidance on how to get back to my hotel safely! She even arranged for the bike to be picked up so I wouldn’t have to walk back from the shop and miss the end of the festivities! So, even with the dread I had of even riding a «normal» bike, suffice it to say, I was very happy with my experience! Thanks, Penny!

Excellent one on one service. I came to purchase a new helmet among other things, was approached by a very friendly salesperson (Lisa, whose arm was in a sling) as soon as I entered. Lisa spent lots of time showing me gloves, inner tubes, etc & even explaining how to change a tire (I’m a novice). If this is the kind of help u need I highly recommend Light St cycles!

while visiting Baltimore, i wanted to ride a bike, and found a good rental at Light Street Cycles. The staff was helpful in preparing a hybrid bike for me, with a reasonable rate of $ 25 per day (includes helmet).
I rented a lock too ($ 5), as I wanted to ride and park in unknown neighborhoods. I brought a cable lock from home, which I used along with the rented U-​bolt for additional peace of mind, if not actual security.
I also had brought some bike lights from home, which proved useful when I did an imprumptu pub-​tour thru Federal Hill and Fell’s Point.
thanks for the friendly service, LSC. I’ll rent again when i return to Charm City!

I brought a bike that I had bought online here to have the front brakes adjusted and to purchase a clamp to attach my rear reflector. The owner of the shop told me that it would be about $ 30 – 35 and that I could come back in the next day at 9:30 (thirty minutes before they open) to pick it up because someone would be there.
The following day, I show up at about 9:50 and the guy at the counter says, «We’re not open yet». I explain that I’m picking a bike up that I dropped off yesterday. Even though I was paying the bill with a credit card, he made me wait until he counted the money in the register before he rang me out. Ten minutes later, another guy brings my bike up from downstairs. It had several large scratches on top of the frame and the reflector was not installed. Will definitely not being returning to this bike shop.

First of all, take this review with a grain of salt. I’ve only been here twice so maybe I am completely wrong. Also, please note that my bikes, while very precious to me, are all older pieces of junk. Therefore, they normally require a lot more TLC and know-​how than your average bike.
If you are buying a new bike, the store does have a sparse selection of mid level road and mountain bikes. Nothing ridiculously fancy, your standard Fuji, Canondale, Gary Fisher, etc.
As for getting your bike fixed, as long as you problem requires little knowledge, I think you will be fine here. Plus, I agree with everyone else that the owner is extremely delightful. She has a great energy about her and truly seems to be excited about cycling.
However, if you need advanced technical assistance, this may not be the best for you. I needed my bike ready for a road race, and the tune up I got was horrible. In fact, I had to take it to another shop to get it fixed.
While I abhor chains, in this case, I would suggest taking your bike to Princeton sports or Lutherville bikes to get work done.

I wanted to like Light Street Cycles — it is only a couple blocks from my house, and I am an avid biker. But, after being disappointed so many times, I have finally given up. I have had pedals they attached fall off and had my leg cut, had poorly installed tubes get pinched and immediately go flat, and worst of all bought a bike here and had problems that they refused to fix. They seem friendly at first, but they are completely incompetent and eventually give up standing behind their work. Even Fed Hill residents should avoid this place — it is worth the extra ride to go somewhere else with competent personnel.

This place is awesome. The owner really knows her bikes and is very involved in the local biking scene. She participates in city rides and can help you find out about what is happening in the local bike culture. She is patient, attentive and cares a lot about your comfort and feel on a bike. You don’t feel rushed at all. She suggested a bike at a lower price point since it was right for me. Hats off the neighborhood bike shop! The other people who work there like the repair people are nice, real and cool too.

Back when I was a total bike noob and didn’t own any tools, I took my mountain bike in to have new tubes and tires installed. After I picked up my bike, I’d gotten about 2 miles into a ride when the rear wheel came loose in the dropouts and wedged itself against my frame. I had to pick the bike up and walk it to the nearest bike shop (3 miles away) to have them tell me that the axle nuts hadn’t been tightened enough.
Never again.

Solid shop for repairs, but this place is messy. My first time in the shop I checked out what kind of newsletter/​flier circulation they had re: upcoming events in the Baltimore area for cyclists — NOTHING.
I don’t know much about the shop but I know enough to give it a 3 and unless the place gets cleaned up this year and starts staying in the loop in terms of what’s going on for cyclists in Baltimore, the rating will stay the same.