Baltimore Cycling & Shop Talk

Baltimore has a cycling culture and community. I admire all those who choose to commute by bike, transit, and the micro mobility options available here in the city. There is a disparity between these options and driving a car. The city feels more car centric over people, lanes improved for faster speeds… bike lanes and shared greenways aren’t respected by drivers, irregular bus schedules and bus stops without seating or shelter are just small examples of how hostile this city can feel to people. It feels daunting to navigate the city at times, on the other hand, riding in this city is invigorating. Walking and commuting, seeing the row homes, buildings, and my neighbors just living life as I am, and being able to smile back, say hello, or just share a word, joke, or a moment with them is that charm.

(Photo of the Saturday Coffee Ride in April 2026)

While I have no control over how the city will evolve, I’m hoping to advocate for everyone by starting this business, one bike at a time. One less car on the road, one less accident or traffic fatality, a quieter neighborhood, better air, and at the least: less traffic. I want my neighbors to feel supported and empowered by the knowledge that their bike can be fixed, or that they have a source to find a bike that speaks to them.

I love riding bikes, fixing bikes, camping, drawing, hiking, and sometimes climbing, among other things. Before I became a professional bike mechanic, I just tinkered with my own bikes, then amassed tools and knowledge to fix most anything with them. I started connecting with other bike mechanics and shops while living in Portland, Oregon. Then concurrently helping friends with their bikes in my “garage shop” where my labor was paid through beer and stories.

(Photo of Aaron Delani's first garage shop for friends in Portland, Oregon 2016.)

I’ve dreamed about opening my own shop since 2015. My interest and curiosity piqued when I had asked quite a few bike shop owners I had met, “what does it take to open a bike shop” and most of them said “don’t do it.” One owner even asked me, “do you like bikes and riding bikes?” To which I replied, “yeah, I do.” He said this kindly, “Then don’t open a bike shop, you’ll be so busy you won’t have the time to appreciate the bikes that do come in, or even ride the ones you own. But if you’re passionate and find some balance, it is possible. You have to be crazy to open a bike shop.”

Since then, I’ve worked for four bike shops, and have had the privilege of helping so many others. I want to be able to continue doing that, while creating equity in my community and connecting people.

Challenges

Bike shops have tight profit margins and tend to have high value inventory. Which means that most shops have considerable debt, unless they are service focused or sell mostly used bikes. Unfortunately, when it comes to bicycle service & maintenance, it becomes a seasonal endeavor as most commuters don’t ride when there’s inclement weather, they wouldn't think to get their bikes in running order until the weather is nice. Which explains why most bike shops are busy by the end of spring through the rest of the summer.

Having great service and retail offerings might get OMWO through most of the year, but we also want to thrive. I have a few ideas on how to do this which I’ll be talking about later on. In the meantime, I’m focused on really getting things started.

Here’s the first part of a list of some hurdles and challenges I’m working on:

• Filing for an LLC
• Applying for Grants and Loans
• Finishing Business Plan
• Raising Capital / Fund Raising
• Acquiring a brick and mortar HQ/Retail Space in Waverly
• Opening accounts with suppliers
• Acquire tools and consumables

While working for a bike shop is pretty straightforward, starting one, or any business feels overwhelming. I’m chunking it down into smaller digestible pieces before my head explodes.

That's it for now. If you feel like helping me early on, please feel free to contact me through Instagram, or email me at aaron@aarondelani.com, or Venmo. Any help or contact is really appreciated!

A Little About Me & Why I’m starting OMWO

My name is Aaron Delani, I’m an outdoor and cycling enthusiast. I recently moved to Baltimore, Maryland in 2024, and I love it here. The city has a kind of charm you’d normally associate with a very cute crab. One of the things I love about the city are the people, the bikes, and the communities. I’ve lived here for two years and have not had to drive for the most part, you'll normally catch me riding around on my bike.

The first job I acquired was working for one of the largest bicycle franchises in the USA. In the past year, four bike shops in Baltimore, including the one I worked for, had closed down. Most of these shops were rumored to have closed because of the rising cost of rent on their retail spaces. This was a huge blow to the cycling community in Baltimore. The city had six bicycle shops, down to two in one year. There are at least seven thousand bicycle commuters, a very conservative estimate, and they only have two shops left to go to. I want to change that.

I want to open a bike and outdoor gear retail store in the Waverly neighborhood, and hopefully open up a few more around the city within the next ten years. I want this first shop to be something Baltimoreans can be proud of. A place to have a bike serviced, and a place to go to on their way outside.

OMWO Mission

“On My Way Outside” or OMWO is a place where bicyclists and outdoor enthusiasts of any level would feel welcome. I would love the opportunity to get more people on bikes and outdoors… In nature or the city, everyone should feel empowered and equipped to go on adventures and live life with one less car.

I want to be able to employ like minded people, who are for equality, nature, adventure, community, and against fascist, racists, and people with outdated ideologies. I also want to be able to pay a living wage, and be able to create equity in our community.

I have really high hopes for this, though everything it takes to make this possible feels so daunting.

I’ll be using this blog as a place where you can get updates in a longer form about what’s going on with OMWO. I guess, for now, this is it.

I hope you’ll join me on this adventure.

Special thanks to Brian for the photo ♥.