Since 1978, Race Pace Bicycles has provided customers in Maryland and beyond with high-quality support and expertise on all things bicycle-related. Beginning as a small two-room storefront in West Baltimore, the business now has five locations, including one in Ellicott City, MD. The store there opened in a former warehouse that was dramatically transformed using metal products from Fabral, finished with premium paint coatings from Valspar.

Ammon Heisler Sachs Architects was hired to make the full-scale interior and exterior remodel a reality. As part of the undertaking, 4,800 square-feet was added to the building to house the company’s sales floor and storeroom.

A major face-lift was needed to the structure’s façade to attract customers and convey the Race Pace Bicycle brand. To accomplish this, Fabral 12" and 16" Silhouette HCF Series™ metal wall panels, finished in Valspar Fluropon® coating in Slate Gray and a custom red, were installed in a continuous horizontal pattern on the exterior. 

Valspar’s Fluropon 70 percent PVDF architectural metal coating is known for its high-performance qualities and durability, including superior resistance to ultraviolet rays, dirt and stains. Thanks to its color adhesion properties and vibrant pigments, the selected Fluropon colors provide a modern and dynamic vibe to a once drab exterior. To maintain their strong local brand, it was important that Race Pace Bicycles secure exterior colors that match their own style. With Valspar’s expert color-matching abilities, the process was simple.

Taking over 21 months to complete, the Ellicott City location opened its doors in 2014. Staffing around 15 employees and home to Bella Bikes, Race Pace Bicycle’s exclusive store for women and the first all-women’s bicycle store in the country, the new location looks as great on the outside as it makes people feel inside.