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If you’re new to cycling in Chicago, you may find that high prices and fast-talking mechanics are getting in the way of your first pedal. Walking into a store lined with thousand-dollar bikes, where your 20-year-old Schwinn draws mocking stares, can be a real buzzkill. But if you’re really jonesing to get on two wheels, check out these user-friendly biking hot spots. With their hospitable service and support of worthy causes, these stores are light on the wallet but heavy on the feel-good vibe. Some of Chicago’s cycling outlets provide tools and advice for those who are tired of the El and eager to hit the bike paths.
Here are our 5 bitchin’ local bike labs:
The Bicycle Recyclery is a volunteer-based shop that sells used rides, runs a Build-a-Bike class, and donates cycles to area nonprofits.Visitors can also tune up at Open Shop on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m., and on a random day of the week (check the store’s calendar. Do-it-yourself riders have access to eight “prepare” stands and seven full sets of tools. A $10 donation is recommended for every hour you’re in the shop. “We want to make biking more accessible,” says Sharlyn Grace, 23, a three-year Recylery employee.
Not only is 38-year-old Alex Wilson, the founder of West Town Bikes, but he’s also editor and designer of the 30-page “Cycling Guide for Chicago College Students,” an official City of Chicago publication.“Bikes are not rocket science,” Wilson says. He also recommends that new cyclists learn some basic terms from resources such as Bike Tutor and Park Tool. West Town offers open shop hours on Saturdays, when you can get your hands on wrenches, vices, towels, and Bike Aid Lubrication at eight work stations. Try the Basic Bike Maintenance class on the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month.
This nonprofit sells about 150 bikes during the three days a week its doors are open. Restored models start at around $50, and the store ships bikes to the Gulf Coast, Ghana, Tanzania, Angola, Cuba, Guatemala, and Peru—more than 5,000 are sent off every year with the support of volunteers. If you’re interested in learning more about bikes and becoming part of an important cause, the cooperative recruits people to work as mechanics, customer service representatives, and pre-shipping packers. If you’re looking to buy used, Working Bikes recommends coming before 1 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays for the best selection.
Owner Maria Barnes has run Uptown Bikes since 1996. The shop specializes in fixing bikes and selling used models from February until they run out, which is usually around April. Uptown’s most expensive bike costs around $550, which isn’t bad if you think of it as a long-term investment. “We don’t do a lot of high-end stuff,” she says. It’s all about practicality—their customers aren’t looking for pricey services. Barnes suggests avoiding Craigslist unless you know what you’re looking for. After working on construction sites as a former electrician, she says commuting by bikes “was our way of decompressing.”
You can find Blackstone Bicycle Works in the same green building that houses the Experimental Project, a nonprofit organization that includes an art studio, a journalism company, a food store, and a café. Blackstone sells new and used bikes. It’s an authorized dealer for the foldable Breezer bike. But the shop also works to serve local youth: Its mission is using cycling to solve the neighborhood’s social problems and to promote “green” commuting in the city.Through the store’s Youth Education Program, kids can also earn a bike by completing a 25-hour apprenticeship on the basics of bicycle mechanics.