I’m looking to buy a new ROAD bike as my second bike to my Tri Bike (QR Caliente, 2003 Model).
Any suggestions on Illinois bike shops to check out for a road bike. I am very familiar with both Mission Bay Multisport and the Bike Shop in Glen Ellyn and am not interested in the debate about those two places. They both are good in their own ways and I have shopped at both places, juts looking for other options to explore.
Spokes is the closest Road shop to me.
Raouf and Sammi can sell you a high end road bike, just be aware of your fit as they are not as fastidious as Mission Bay or The Bike Shop in the actual fitting process. They are the Danada bike shop guys. Their brother runs the Naperville Spokes shop and is also okay. I have bought a mountain bike and road bike from them in the past and have been satisfied. They provide excellent service as well.
Not too sure how they are now , but the Turin shop in the city used to be a good shop and I have used Licktons with pretty good luck.
Get A Grip on Irving Park Rd just west of the Kennedy. http://www.getagripcycles.com
Good selection. Adam is Serotta Fit cert and Kevin is FIST.
Where are you at and what are you looking for?
Where are you at and what are you looking for?
I’m in the south/southwest suburbs of Chicago…
Looking for a decent, reliable road bike to primarily serve for long easy rides, casual/recreational riding and use on the trainer…something different than my tri setup…I do not plan to race it, and would prefer to keep cost as low as possible, so extras, high end stuff and bells & whistles are not in the mix…I haven’t had any luck finding a used bike, but would go that route if possible.
Thank you…
If you can make it up to Highland Park, there are 2 to choose from: Alberto’s/Running Right, and Higher Gear (there’s also a Higher Gear downtown). Alberto’s has mainly a Felt/Cannondale on the floor - they do fitting on site and I think they’re currently running a sale on last year’s bikes. Haven’t been in the shop in a while, so I don’t know what’s currently on the floor. Higher Gear is mostly Trek/Lemond, but they also deal in higher-end stuff (Seven, Serotta, etc.). Smaller stock on site, but they have the 2nd location to call on as well. Both are good shops.
The ones I have experience with that I would recommend in the city are;
Performance
Kozy
On the Route
Johnny Sprockets
Check out the village cycle web page for previous years models. They have some that are several years old that they almost give away. But you have to deal with village cycle, which kind of speaks for itself.
I don’t get down the s. burbs much so I can’t offer much
I’ll give another vote to Get a Grip. They’ve taken great care of me. I had a fantastic fit by Adam and they’ve done a lot of work for me all with excellent results. They’ll really take some time with you to take care of you. The only problem might be a limited selection. As an FYI, if you were buying a bike, you get a discount through the Chicago Tri Club. If you’re not a member, it would probably be worth signing up just for the benefit. I’ve easily made my money back on mine just through GAG discounts. Good luck.
Oh yeah…I forgot Shamrock Cyclery - I think they’re in Long Grove. Haven’t been there, but I ride with a guy who works there. Sounds like they’ve got a nice selection of more ‘exotic’ stuff.