New List: Best Bike Shops in Columbus
Seven shops ranked on repair work, e-bike know-how and help for new riders, with Johnny Velo Bikes in Clintonville on top. Status: Live on site.
Our first Best Of ranking for cyclists was published Thursday. The new bike shop ranking names seven stores, and every one had to keep a working repair bench, sell from a storefront and keep its hours and service menu current online before we would list it.
Johnny Velo Bikes at 4231 N. High St. is Best Overall. It stocks kids bikes, BMX, road and electric models, keeps a separate bench just for e-mobility repairs, takes trade-ins toward a new bike and stays open on Sunday afternoons.
Clintonville dominates the rest of the ranking too. Orbit City eBikes on Indianola Avenue sells nothing but electric bikes and trikes and lets you test ride more than 25 of them. Baer Wheels has fixed bikes on North High since 1990, and Beechwold Bicycles a little farther north builds custom bikes part by part. Paradise Garage, open in the Short North since 2008, is the pick for a professional fitting. Out east, Bicycle One in Gahanna has been in the Frazier family since 1974 and stocks more than 100 e-bikes, and Cyclist Connection in Canal Winchester teaches riders to fix their own flats in its Repair Academy.
The timing is not an accident. Worthington City Council takes testimony Monday, November 2, on new rules for e-bikes and scooters, covered in our hearing preview. Bicycle One also hosts a Cranksgiving food drive ride on November 14. Find coffee near the High Street shops on our Clintonville page.
