Best Shopping

click for Readers' Picks
click for Editors' Picks


photo by Geoffrey Kula

Best bike shop

Remember that feeling you had the first time you rode your two-wheeler down the street without falling? Remember how much it hurt all those times you wiped out? Ace Wheelworks in Somerville has what you need to relive the first experience and prevent the second - enough high-quality racing, mountain, and hybrid bikes to bring back the excitement of your first Schwinn, and enough helmets and pads to protect you from the pain of the fall. More than 80 percent of the people on staff have been at Ace for more than two years, so they'll be able to tell you the difference between a Bianchi and a Burley. And when you do wrap your bike around a tree, bring it in to the excellent repair shop for a little loving: the experienced mechanics can fix almost anything that rolls in the door. Problems such as punctured tubes can usually be fixed while you wait, but you should call ahead to schedule bigger repairs.

Ace Wheelworks, 145 Elm Street, Somerville, (617) 776-2100.


 © 2001 Phoenix Media Communications Group