Photo by Doug Koontz Tom Rinker, owner and certified fit technician of The Bicycle Escape, checks an adjustable stationary bike.

Ever since he opened his own bike shop, however, he doesn't do much riding at all. He doesn't have time.

Rinker and his wife, Danielle, opened The Bicycle Escape just before Thanksgiving 2005. Rinker runs his store, in the Shops of Monocacy on Kingfisher Drive, while his wife works full time as a graphic designer.

Rinker has been biking seriously since he was 13. At the time, he had saved enough money to buy a mountain bike. A couple of years later, he took a job at a bike shop and saved enough money to buy a road bike.

"I was never much into ball sports," he said. "I just really loved biking."

Rinker, 26, grew up in Mount Airy and attended Linganore High School. He never worked in anything other than a bike shop.

He earned a degree in psychology from Hood College.

"Toward the end of college I did consider a career outside the two-wheeled business, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it."

He and Danielle, 27, met in high school and started dating in college. He turned her on to biking.

"The logical extension was for Danielle and I to own a shop," he said.

When she is not working her day job, she designs the store layout, brochures, website and color coordination. Rinker said he has learned how shop appearance can go a long way toward making customers feel comfortable about biking.

Rinker is a certified bike fitter. For those who are serious, a proper fit takes in consideration not only height and weight, but also length of legs and arms, whether one leg is shorter than the other and many other factors.

A bike-fit session costs $150 and lasts two to three hours. Because many cyclists own multiple bikes, Rinker can adjust all the cyclist's bikes to a proper fit. A good fit makes all the difference to a cyclist who bikes for fitness and fun, he said. It can prevent back problems and knee problems. It also helps a cyclist ride more efficiently.

"For most people, when you get on your bike, you're trying to escape, and you can't escape if something hurts," he said. "A bike has three points of contact, the seat, hands and feet. I look at how you move, look at your flexibility."

To get certified in bike fitting, Rinker had to attend a school in New York that trains people to fit athletes to their bikes. Bike fits aren't just for those who ride expensive bikes.

"It's not about the bike, it's about the rider," he said.

Rinker and several assistants do bike repair and maintenance. The shop sells everything from children's bikes to $300 commuter bikes to high-end road and mountain bikes that cost up to $6,000. Custom-made bikes can be ordered.

Accessories -- ranging from bells to parts, seats, special clothing, helmets and sunglasses -- are part of the inventory.

"We sell a line of bikes called Breezer, which are designed for commuting," Rinker said. "They're practical, simple bikes."

The shop is giving away a Breezer on Bike To Work Day on May 18 at the Carroll Creek Train Station, South East Street. That day, 6:30 to 9 a.m., bike commuting will be promoted as a way to reduce fossil fuel use.

The Rinkers are learning from experience how to run a business.

"We're not business people, we're passionate bike people," he said. "You let your passion and your desire push you forward. We rely on the belief that if you're good people, good things will happen to you."

He said treating customers well is his first goal.

Friends and family have been good about providing business advice to the couple.