Business Spotlight: Lutherville Bikes

To Ron Metzger a bicycle is more than just a way of getting around.

He remembers his first two-wheeler, a “knock-off Schwinn” that he bought for $40, although what he really wanted was a 1968 Schwinn Stingray. At 10 years of age, he realized that one day, bicycles would become his life.

“It was an old shop with old hardwood floors and just seeing a whole aisle of wheels, there was something about it,” he said of his first experience in a bike shop. “It was like art to me. Bikes are like art to me.”

About 40 years later, with a slight detour through the corporate jungle, Metzger’s life path wound up in Lutherville as the friendly face behind the counter of .

Metzger is the type of owner who will fill up the flat tires on your stroller as quickly as he repairs the tires on your bike (Patch observed).

His dedication to community service and helping others has become an integral gear in how his shop is run. Lutherville Bikes is partnered with , as well as a charity sponsored by St. John’s Lutheran Church in Baltimore. Both charities collect bikes and redistribute them to people in need of transportation.

“We’re a little bit more aggressive about it,” Metzger said of the shop’s charitable efforts, compared to its previous owners.

Metzger purchased the shop from the Richardson family and renamed it on January 2, 2007. He says he prefers owning his own business, even in these hard economic times, to his former corporate job.

“I like the fact that cycling nowadays is much broader than it used to be when I was a kid,” Metzger began. “When I was a kid, it was your transportation, it was your freedom, it was getting away from your parents and doing your own thing. That’s what it was for me.

“Nowadays, it’s a lot more than that," he continued. “It’s transportation for some people. For others, it’s environmental. For a lot of people it’s relaxation and exercise. It relieves pressure and stress. We sell to a lot of families here and for them it’s their way to do something together.”

As a business owner, Metzger hasn’t been spared the brunt of the recession, although he recognizes just like any biker that making it up the hill is a matter of switching into the right gears.

“You have to do a lot of different things,” he said. “You can’t do the same thing that you did five years ago. Maybe you have to constantly adjust your business and how you are doing things every few months.”

Lutherville Bikes began expanding its inventory, Metzger said, to adjust to the market needs. The shop now sells triathlon, BMX, cyclocross bikes, as well as placing a heavy emphasis on apparel.

Despite challenging financial times, Metzger still greets customers with a smile, fulfilling his dream of one day owning his own bike shop, along with the 1968 Stingray.