Best of 2003: Best North County Bike Tune-Up

Pacific Coast Cycle
2801 Roosevelt Street, Carlsbad
760-729-7671

Bicycle frames and wheels hang from the open beams of this small shop with patchwork wood floors. Customers stroll in and linger, swapping jokes and stories with owner Chuck Hoefer. One longtime customer says this is the best place to have your bike worked on because, "On the technical side, Hoefer has more arcane knowledge about what's right for a bicycle than most shops will have. And I always tell people this shop is like the old corner barbershop. It's just fun to hang out here." Hoefer opened the shop in another Carlsbad location in 1997 and moved to the Roosevelt store six years ago. Before that he worked building racing frames. He'll charge you $30 to fine-tune your road bike, $35 for your mountain bike.