Bicycles
Overview
Bikes are fun. They’re replacing cars as many people’s favorite form of transportation. There’s a bike for everyone: mountain bikes to ride in the dirt, hybrid bikes for commuting, and carbon-fiber racing bikes for fun on the weekend.
What to Ride
If you’re just looking to cruise around town, a balloon tire bike will do just fine. If you’d like to run errands on your bike, consider a utility model with racks.
You can buy your bike from:
The Bicycle Escape
Clemson Corner Shopping Center
301-663-0007
They’re nice folks who sponsor several group rides throughout the year.
The Bike Doctor
Common Market Shopping Center
301-620-8868
These folks favor steel-framed bikes, and specialize in building custom wheels.
Wheelbase Bikes
Market Street
301-663-9288
The oldest bike shop in town, it features a tabby cat who roams around the shop.
Where to Ride
Speed
Road: Fast
Trail: Medium
Town: Slow
The Watershed
Trails through the forest.
Some stream crossings.
It features a network of bike trails that wind their way through the Blue Ridge mountains to the west of town.
Opossumtown Pike
Road through the hills.
Not much traffic on it.
This road takes you out of town and connects with several country roads going north along the foothills of the Blue Ridge.
Downtown Frederick
Streets through downtown.
Lots of car traffic, but it’s slow traffic.
Riding around Frederick on a bike can be very enjoyable. You can see the historic architecture, stop at a café for a bite to eat, or ride around the park.
Where to Eat
Frederick County has many good restaurants, ranging from country-style buffets to swanky wine and cheese cafes.
Typical check for one person
$ $5-10
$$ $10-20
$$$ $20-50
The Cozy $$
Thurmont, MD
www.cozyvillage.com
You can ride here on the back roads, and when you arrive you can eat a big country breakfast of pancakes, sausage, and eggs. Or you can sample its buffet with over fifty different choices.
The dinner buffet is also good. The food is tasty, and no one goes home hungry.
Friscos $
Buckeystown, MD
www.akafriscos.com
An easy ride south of town, this sandwich shop serves a variety of classic subs and interesting sandwiches.
It serves beer—a refreshing drink after a ride on a hot day.
The Orchard $$$
Frederick, MD
www.theorchardrestaurant.com
It serves healthy food that tastes terrific. The stir fry dishes are particularly good.
No beef or pork is served here. Chicken, shrimp, and tofu are the “meats” on offer.