r/bikedc • u/hikesbikessquats • 8d ago

Moving to DC 🚲

Hi! I’m moving to DC for a year and I’d like to bring my bike. I’ll be in DuPont circle and Hill East areas. I’m looking for advice re: a couple things:

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  1. what’s a good and friendly bike shop for me t

o ship

  1. my bike to and have built upon arrival? My home bike shop recommended this vs driving with it across country.

+ what are some

  1. fun and friendly cycling meet ups? I’m no pro, but I love group cycling.

    Currently I join a women’s ride as it fits my schedule but I’m open to any chill and welcoming group that isn’t trying it stay over 19mph. I average 13-18 depending on hills (I am a terrible climber right now).
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  2. what trails do you recommend? I’m primarily a road cyclist

, considering bringing my gravel bike as well

  1. .

    I love a good long autumn ride.

Anything else I shouldn’t miss?

Thanks so much!

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u/hikesbikessquats 8d ago

Thank you! I’ll look up the C&O!

Right now I’m in a women’s group ride group- I average anywhere from 13-18 depending on route (I kind of suck in hills). Welcoming vibe, but serious enough it’s safe group riding, observing general rules, etc.

Thanks for the heads up on conte’s. I’ll check out bicyclespace!

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u/czhanghm 8d ago

FYI - the C&O is gravel, but you might be able to ride it if you run wider road tires.

I don’t know how up to date this site is but you can try here for rides: https://dcpaceline.com

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u/hikesbikessquats 7d ago

Thank you! I’ve considered bringing my gravel bike as well but maybe I’ll have it sent over during the spring and plan to ride it. It looks like an awesome ride.

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u/95moose 6d ago

I'm a little late to the party, but you should definitely bring your gravel bike. While it can be a bit of challenge to get there without a car since it is about 40 miles to the west, western Loudoun County has some of the most beautiful gravel roads in the country. There are about 300 miles of gravel roads with horse farms, wineries, breweries, and historic sites. Many of the roads are well over 200 years old, lined with stone walls that predate the Civil War. It is really spectacular in the fall and spring, but great riding all year round. It is BY FAR my favorite place to ride a bike.

There are two major gravel riding events (not races) in Loudoun: The 1725 Gravel Grinder in June which primarily covers southwest Loudoun, and the Waterford Bicycle Classic at the end of October which mostly covers northwest Loudoun.

Loudoun 1725 Gravel Grinder (June)

Waterford Bicycle Classic (October 25, 2026)

They are both super well organized and very fun, though the longer options can have some challenging climbs. If you want to get a taste of one of them, there is still time to sign up for the October25th Waterford Classic. I rode in the inaugural one last year, and it was really, really fun and beginner friendly. Since you mentioned you are a terrible climber, I suggest doing the 20 mile option. There are a few hills, but they designed the route to avoid the really steep climbs. It would also give you a great introduction to riding out there.

There are a lot of good Youtube videos about riding gravel in Loudoun, but here are a few to get you started if you are interested in learning more:

These two videos are from an Aussie who lives in Florida and rides all over the world doing bike reviews. He says he considers western Loudoun in his top 3 places in the world to ride gravel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0aIxhqiKjY (while he rides the metro to Loudoun, getting from the last Metro stop to the best gravel roads is still a 5-10 mile ride)

Gravel Cycling in Northern Virginia, USA: Haymarket & More

And another take on riding in Loudoun: Cycling the BEST Gravel Roads!

Finally, there is a Gravel Riding Group on Facebook called the Velopigs that organizes rides every Saturday out of Leesburg (most of the time). I have never ridden with them, but they seem nice from all their posts, and it is a mixed-gender group with three levels of rides - Business, Business Casual, and Party-Pace. The only drawback is the routes from Leesburg all start with very steep climbs to get to the west. Sometimes they start from Breweries already in the west, though, so you avoid the biggest climbs.

In any case, since you are coming here and will be relatively close, you really should give it a try. There's not a ride I've taken out there where I haven't blurted out to my friends "This is really beautiful!"