Best bike shop
With Lance Armstrong having won his 50-billionth Tour de France, and with the spinning craze still gripping the nation, an ignorant bystander might conclude that Americans have only recently discovered the bicycle. Au contraire. No one knows this better than the kindly and quirky family who have owned and run Ace Wheelworks for 28 years and counting. Ace has bikes for every level of rider, and its merchandise is top-tier as well as locally and independently manufactured. It offers tune-ups, an in-house frame-maker, repair classes with a master mechanic ($75 per three-hour class), an extensive woman-specific selection of products, and most important, a great sense of humor in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Our other winner, International Bicycle, has been proudly standing behind its products for more than 25 years. And boy, are the legs there tired. But seriously, this shop offers mountain, road, and hybrid bikes as good as or better than those ridden in the Tour de France. It, too, caters to everyone from beginners to real-life world champions, and employees pride themselves on dedicated service. International Bicycle offers free maintenance classes, free in-season 7 a.m. group road rides, and indoor spinning classes (BYO bike) in the winter. It sponsors the Boston Triathlon Team, and it's the largest purveyor of high-end European bikes in New England.

Ace Wheelworks, 145 Elm Street, Somerville, (617) 776-2100, www.wheelworks.com; International Bicycle, 89 Brighton Avenue, Allston, (617) 783-5804, www.internationalbike.com.