A buddy of mine who lives in Chicago wants to purchase his first bike. He’s on the fence about tris, but I want him to go to a shop where they will fit him properly and won’t try to force feed him whatever is on the floor. His pricepoint is entry level, but I figure it can’t hurt to steer him in the right direction. Can you please suggest a good shop in Chicago that will meet these criteria?
Thanks in advance.
Try Mission Bay Multisport
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The Bike Shop in Glen Ellyn
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I would actually say Get a Grip. The best part about them is that fitting and custom bikes is really what they specialize in. The don’t have a ton of bikes on the floor so they’re not going to push anything on you. Plus, they are the nicest guys in the city.
I second Get A Grip. They are the preferred bike fitters for my old triathlon club (the Chicago Tri Club), and the fitting they did for me has paid off big time this season. Oh, and they truly are incredibly nice guys.
I’d highly recommend Adam at Get a Grip. I think he is very good at fittings. Have your friend be very open with him about the budget and what type of bikes s/he is considering. I went to him twice. First time he improved my position on a road bike that had clip-on aerobars. The second time I was ready to buy a Tri bike and had a handful of brands in mind. He was able to take my measurements and then look at the specs of those bikes and make a recommendation. I ended up getting a bike through them, but it was not a requirement. Also, for what it’s worth, they’ve added to their line-up in the past year or so, so it’s likely your friend can find something (depending on what brand s/he is considering).
Phil Ligget says, “Go see my friend Rich at the Bike Shop in Glen Ellyn.”
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I third, fourth and fifth Get a Grip, but the problem is that they’ll charge him >$125 just to get the fitting. This is way intimidating for someone who isn’t sure they want to spend a lot on a bike. Then, once fit, I’m not sure they deal in bikes that cost less than ~$1500. (At least they didn’t a year and a half ago when I was looking) The good news is that they’ll fit you on any bike, so if your friend buys a pretty close-fit entry level bike, he can then go to GAG and get it fit. Or vice versa. Of course, talking to them alone may be the sell he needs so he should defintely start there, just prepare him on the numbers.
Get a Grip. Prefitting bike speed avg on 1/2IM 22.8 mph, post fitting last week, 24.7
Also might have had something to do with the Zipp disk and aero helmet. But anyway, Get a grip is the way to go.
Paul
Well, I guess it depends on the type of bike he wants to get “positioned” on 
(you can “fit” just about anything, but optimal “position” is what most people seek)
Mission Bay Multisport - Elgin & Chicago, the oldest tri shop in the area.
The Bike Shop/Glen Ellyn - Between Rich & Chris, probably have set up as many people on bikes as anywhere else in the country (and have background from Mission Bay, and Rich worked with John Cobb)
Get a Grip - Have a good reputation over the past year or two. Probably not quite as experienced as the other two, but have established a definite following in Chicago.
I’d go to The Bike Shop in Glen Ellyn, but call ahead of time and make an appointment during the week. On the weekends it’s too busy to pull someone aside for an hour or two for a fitting.
You’ll never regret Mission Bay. The prices are great, and the service is superb. In fact, they are recommended by Nytro in San Diego, and I also believe our pal Dan(aka Slowman) is also a long time friend and has the utmost respect for Bill at MB. Perhaps Dan will pipe in…In fact Bill at MB saved my ass while I was in San diego, as he called Craig Turner of Nytro and had him fix a broken part from the manufacturer, AT HIS COST! I was riding the next day, thanks to Bill.
I’ll throw a vote for The Bike Shop in Glen Ellyn. You get the personal service there that only a smaller shop can provide. Got two of my bikes getting a tuneup/massage right now.
Pat
Bike Shop.