Big City Bikes

Brad, Adam, and the whole team at Big City Bikes provide expert opinions and excellent service. After the Abound was out of stock for a few weeks, Brad gave me a call to let me know when it came in. After I bought it, they assembled it right away and gave me a comprehensive course on the ins and outs of the bike. Even offered to help install the accessories as they were shipped to me and helped with some brake trouble a couple weeks later. This kind of service is exactly what I was hoping for when I chose to buy an e-bike from a local shop instead of purely online. I'll be coming back when my husband's e-bike envy gets the best of him!

We had a great experience at this bike shop! Brad was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. He answered all our questions and gave great recommendations. We are very happy with our purchases and would highly recommend this shop to anyone looking for quality bikes and excellent customer service.

My husband and I heard about the Aventon Abound & Big City Bikes through a friend - and Brad was great through the whole sales process! In fact, we liked the Abound so much that we called Brad back to get a second e-bike and he recommended the Soltera. His customer service was amazing & he was always honest with which accessories he thought make sense. We will definitely be back for future bike needs.

I came in on Weds April, 26th to check out the space and see what kind of single speed/fixed gear/track bike components they had. It's one thing seeing products online, and another seeing products in hand. You can easily get sucked into buying REALLY expensive cranks and etc online. Also, talking to a bike mechanic and someone who has replaced bottom brackets, cranks, and chains for a career can give you some solid advice. The gent helping me out was great, he was aware of price, but made great recommendations, from the bottom bracket, chain, crank set, freewheel and picking out some deep dish black wheels. I know time has moved on from deep dish/rap blog era fixed gears, but I like the look. Keeping style locked in from an era makes some things more interesting. Installing everything was easier than I thought it would be. Granted, already having the correct tools to fix everything helps immensely. Additionally, being handy HELPS. Immensely. I want to say thank you to the shop for aiding me in my purchases and making my single speed look extra mean. The bike came from another shop in which i purchased for less than all the parts I have put on the bike, which is more normal than ya think. Thank you guys!

They did a great job of checking my bike over with me when I dropped it off for a tune up to make sure it didn’t need anything else. Plus the turn around time was pretty quick. The staff really know their stuff!

Had a nail puncture my rear tire on my commute to the suburbs yesterday and was nearby. I have a 90lb fat tire ebike that is in their shop overnight. They couldn't work on it, and my bike is taking up a ton of space there. But these guys were nice enough to let me keep it store it overnight instead of having to lock it up outside where there's a big chance it may have been stolen. Can't say thanks enough to them. Good people. Support this business.

Brad and team do great work. Prices for parts, bikes and especially service are very good for the city, they’re experts on cycling and I’m confident they have their customers’ best interests in mind

This place is awesome, I bought a fixed gear bike on Saturday that had a few issues I noticed while riding it and one of the mechanics- Alex did everything he could to solve all my issues, and each time I went there I gravitated and admired (with Alex) a beautiful All-City Space Horse that was on display. After a few days of thinking on it, I knew that was the real bike I wanted. He let me return my original bike and refunded my money. No questions asked. The owner of the business even came in to make sure the Space Horse was functioning to perfection and even educated me on the perils of Cross Chaining before I left the store to ensure the life and longevity of the SRAM Gearset (this model came equipped with a front derailleur I haven't had experience with) they even gave me a courteous discount on the Space Horse purchase. I haven't been this satisfied with a local shop in a very long time. I have been converted from the big box companies like Trek and look forward to seeing these guys every few months so they can inspect my Space Horse.

Brad was such a help picking the right lock for my needs and thinking ahead and guiding with what tools I should have with me in case of emergencies! Nice selection of bikes and accessories!

I was riding home from work, in the dark chill of a rainy fall evening, when I got a flat at Racine and Fullerton, at 6:39pm. I quickly searched to see if there were any nearby bike shops that were still open. I saw that Big City Bikes was open until 7pm (*****-open late!) and a 12 minute walk away. I rushed over to the shop with the mere hope that I would arrive in time to drop off my bike for a flat fix and planned to pick it up the next day. Imagine my surprise and delight when I arrived about 10 minutes before closing and the mechanic offered to fix my tire while I waited!!! My flat was fixed quickly and for just $25 and I was back on my bike and headed home. In really made my day! Thanks Big City Bikes!

This is my new go-to bike shop since Cycle Smithy closed last year. You absolutely cannot beat the turnaround times these mechanics are capable of...really affordable pricing as well for the area. I've had Adam help me most times, he is very friendly and knowledgeable. He also communicates the work he needs to do very clearly.

Thanks guys for putting together my new bike. It runs well!! The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and faster than expected. So glad to have such a great bike shop 5 minutes down the road. I will definitely be back for all my repairs and upgrades!!

I went in with my husband on Saturday to see about tune ups on both of our bikes. My husband mentioned he was considering getting a new bike and Brad asked what it was about his bike that he was not loving and what he would be aiming to get out of a new bike. He told us he could adjust the handlebars so they are more upright and put on thicker tires for a more comfortable ride. He also helped with an inexpensive update to my bike to make it a more comfortable ride. We really appreciated him thinking of how we could change our current bikes instead of getting new ones. I would definitely return to Big City Bikes.

Always a fair deal! I bought my bike here, there was a little rattle in the frame and it was attended to directly by the owner without my even having to ask. The attention to detail provided is fantastic, I've never been to a better cycle shop. I've gone back for additions to my bike, and again, everything was fairly priced and quickly done. I'll be going back here for any other bike needs I have.

i GOT A NEW BIKEEEE!!! After admitting my IKEA bike was not a good idea (and it got recalled anyway), and realizing that my mountain bike was causing back pain from the hunched over posture . . . . . . I came here! After reading a bunch of stuff on the internet, and consulting my bike-obsessed and knowledgeable brother (I actually ended up buying the exact first one he suggested), I zeroed in on the bike I wanted. They had the same brand here, but I came in all loaded for the 7 speed. Well. A discussion with the bike mechanic revealed the reason for the inexplicable low price of the 7 speed, vs. the 3 speed. A crappy derailleur! Since I realize that guys who work on bikes, know what is what with bikes, I listened to him, and took a spin on the 3 speed of the same brand. Also, since biking in Chicago is mostly flat, I really don't need a lot of gears. QUELLE GREAT BIKE!!! What I got is a Retrospec, 3-speed "Venus" bike. A "Dutch" style step in (better for hips!) upright bike - you're sitting up while pedaling, taking in your surroundings, back straight, which I much prefer. This bike just LOOKS COOL, I feel like I'm a stylish Dutch chick, pedaling along the gracht, in search of cheese. And it's easy and fun to ride. Judging on the amount of miles I've put on in the week I've had it - even riding to work one day, I'd say this bike is working out for me! And the shop is a small one, so I feel like I got personalized, knowledgeable service. Will DEFINITELY come back for any tune ups or adjustments, and recommend them to all my frieeennddss!! It looks like they specialize in fixies here, so if you're in the market for that, this is the place to go. They really had a LOT of different bikes in the shop though, so I'd say it's an all around great bike store for buying or fixing your bike.

Thanks I got a new bike The owner Give me a great deal on my new bike I'm a regular customer I been here many times from my other bikes Lot flat tires But now I finally got my road bike Thanks

I happened into this place the Sunday before last looking for a pair of gloves. And found out it was a store that dealt with mostly single/fixed gear bikes which I was mildly interested in so I guess it was destiny. Lol. The sales associates were knowledgeable and went above and beyond to let me try out some bikes. Javier was the one to help me out. It was almost closing time and having worked retail in the past I figured I should let them get out on time. They both insisted that it was fine and to take my time and keep looking. I ended up not buying one that night but came back about a week later. A very nice associateI don't know if I got her name) helped me out and I ended up going home with a new bike. I've ridden a few times and just fell in love with the bike. I highly recommend this place if you're looking for a single/fixed gear bike. The prices are great as well!! They were amazing and I will recommend them to anyone over going to a few more well known places where you'll more likely be ignored if there's a pretty girl in the room.

i get ther whit a flat tire they fix it in 10 minutes they charge $20 great service i will back and get a bike from there soon thanks guys

My husband and I just bought matching bikes from Big City Bikes and we can't wait for the warm weather to hit so we can ride them all the time! This was the 5th bike shop we visited, and the owner was so friendly, professional, helpful and honest. We really appreciated all the time he spent explaining the different bikes to us, and answering all of our MANY questions. He helped us make the best decision for us, and even encouraged us to not make any hasty decisions. We also loves that this place sort of specializes in the single speed bikes...we were sold on the first test ride! Could not recommend this place more, we will be going back for all our biking needs.

I went in on Saturday to upgrade my 10 year old bike. Jake was extremely helpful and let me test ride six different bikes to see which one fit me best. I ended up getting a much nicer bike for less than my original budget of $600. Anyone who needs a bike should check this place out and support your local business. The guys couldn't have been nicer.

After a few weeks and lots of consideration, I decided I needed to add my experience at Big City Bikes. I didn't want to give a knee-jerk review just out of frustration. First, I'd like to say that I love bikes almost as much as life itself. It's one of the last things in my life that brings me joy. I ride year round in Chicago and never take public or Uber. However, I find bike shops to be less than friendly in general. I find this to be the case with the experience of other cyclists. It's like one needs be "part of the club". I guess I'm a lone wolf in the bike world. I chose Big City Bikes based on the stellar reviews on Yelp. What did I do wrong other than feel nervous and awkwardness due to my intimidation instilled in me by bike shops. I dealt directly with the owner, who seemed a little uncomfortable with me. Maybe my nervous vibe rubbed off on the owner. The main issue I have with the owner was his consistent "I have to save my ass" treatment I got from him. I wanted to switch my rack from my old bike to the new one. No one said no till after the fact, when I reminded him that I needed the rack placed on the new bike. He told me that he didn't want to change it because he didn't know if it was designed for that bike or something like that. He also sells the same rack in the store. I also wanted him to adjust the brake levers but didn't want to because it might scratch the paint. I planned on keeping the bike till It falls apart, like my last bike of 7 years did, so I don't care about the paint much. I never got the idea that he actually cared about the bike, but I did get a strong feeling that he had to cover his ass. I also got the feeling that he was more business than bike. Maybe he was sued? So, after I bought the bike, he gave me a cheap set of allen wrenches that I thought I would be able to use to switch the rack. I tried doing this before I had to be to work while in the hot sun. The Allen wrenches weren't the right format for my bike. I had to ride up the street to Menards and buy another set in order to put, what would normally be an easy switch that they could have done for me and saved me the trouble. I had more trouble than I thought I would. I went back to the shop and pleaded for help. Luckily there was an experienced mechanic there that helped me and and I'm grateful for his help. The part that really bothers me is that the owner was so unapologetic and indifferent. He just walked over and sat on his futon and played with his phone while playing cheesy lounge techno that was popular in restaurants and spas 20 years ago. He also never gave me a receipt and never mentioned a warranty. I think he just wanted to get rid of my nervous, awkward ass. He made sure that he was ready to collect the $20 fee for having the mechanic help me. If it were the business I work at, we would not have considered charging for the help in order to let the customer know we care and want to make up for frustrations. Again, all business and ass-saving up front. He was helpful in a very basic way and his mechanics were pretty nice. I honestly believe the owner is all business up front and bike way in the back. The extra star is for the minimum help and the mechanics. There was nothing about the owners personality that would make me recommend him to anyone. I'm still shocked at the 4.5 out of 5 reviews on Yelp. What did I do wrong other than feel nervous and a little awkward? Sure, my vibe was at least a little skewed, but I never became upset with anyone in the building and that should never make a "professional" treat me less. Thanks for reading.

The staff helped me select a high quality bike at a fair price, even talking me out of paying extra for modifications that I was on the fence about. I certainly appreciate that over going along with it just to get more of my money. At times when I returned to the store, they were super cool about giving me free valve caps and truing the wheel for zero charge. If you are looking for a durable bike for commuting around the city, Big City Bikes will hook you up with a fine product.

I got a flat tire while biking to work on Clybourn Ave., luckily the flat occurred near Big City Bikes, I locked my bike up and took the CTA redline to work. After work I took the bike over to Big City bikes and they were quick to repair the puncture in the tire. Its great to have these nice local bike shops around and support them.

Great place for bikes, lots of variety. But what makes this place truly great is the customer service. He ll let you test ride as much bikes as you want till you find the perfect one, he doesn't rush, and provided me a lot of information since I'm such a newbie. Bought a bike from him today, and it's wonderful.

I got two bikes worked on here. On my single speed they replaced a failing freewheel and the chainring to fine tune the gear ratio so I can cruise fast. Second bike I brought in was a 10 year old Cannondale that that they updated with Campagnolo wheelset, Zipp handlebars, Sram components. They took off about 3.5lbs and it rides much better than most 3k+ bikes I have ridden without spending nearly as much. Jake was awesome about service and following up. This is a great shop that specializes in single speeds and the guys are great about helping with custom work and orders.

If you're looking for SS or FG bikes, these guys have a LOT of options. If you're looking for inexpensive versions of either, they have a LOT of options. Nothing too high end, but that's fine, you're in there to buy a SS bike, it should be on the lower end of the bike spectrum. Nice staff, solid prices on all their other stuff. I've never had them fix something so I can't comment on that, but I've talked shop w them a lot, and they seem pretty knowledgeable.

Great selection of fixed gear bikes the service was more than great! I spent almost an hour trying to chose between two bikes and the staff was extremely helpful in hiding me to my decision. I left a happy customer and would definitely recommend this shop to purchase a bike or service it. Best bike shop in town!

New commuter who came in looking for a budget-friendly bike; very pleasant experience with the store owner. Walked me through the differences between all of the bikes and let me test ride all of the one's I was interested in, so I felt like I knew exactly what I was paying for. Didn't feel like I was being upsold, which is a great feeling for a newbie. Within 45 mins or so I was able to choose a bike I am very happy with and have it tuned and ready to go. Would definitely recommend, and intend to return for any servicing. Only negative: Didn't have a lot of helmets, but was able to get everything else I needed.

Place is awesome and they had everything I needed. The guys working were very patient and helpful with me even though I knew nothing about bikes but kinda had an idea for what I was looking for. Thumbs up for sure

In a world of corporate conglomerates, this store is such a breath of fresh air. From the owners to the very knowledgable, helpful, friendly staff members, I cannot say enough about this place. No question will go unanswered and your time and money will not be wasted here.

I purchased a bike at Big City Bikes yesterday. It was without a doubt one of the most pleasant retail experiences I've had in recent memory. In my experience, niche/specialty shops tend to have employees that can be rude or stand off-ish, however this was not the case at BCB. The staff member that helped me was friendly, informative, and patient. I was able to try a number of different bikes to find what fit me. I will definitely be back for all of my bike needs!

I love this shop! It has such a great energy! The owner and employees are just awesome! I can't say enough good things about them! If you need quick friendly services, go here! I have been here multiple time over the last years and every time I leave with a smile. So happy to have you in the neighborhood!

Came in here 3 separate times in a span of one month. First got a $60 tune up which I think did absolutely zero to help the bike. Then they tell me I need a new chain. So another $30 for that. Once they pt the chain on they tell me that the chain they put on isn't especially made for the chain system my bike has. So now there's a newer chain on there that doesn't properly work the way it should. I wish they told me that before they put it on! So okay, then a couple weeks go by and after maybe 4 or 5 uses, the handle bars begin to become loose and a brake wire isn't in the proper place. So another $15 to fix that. But when I get the bike back, I hear this loud noise stemming from my brakes and the chain now crunching every time I pedal. I'm not even gonna take it back there, it's not worth them 'fixing' the problem. Lowkey could have got a new bike for around $100 more than the repairs cost. They have cool bikes for sale, that's a plus, but I surely will never be back to get a bike fixed.

Great shop. They have a big inventory of complete single speeds and fixeds. All the latest aluminum and steels right here for you to gaze upon. The owner is a nice guy who is actually friendly. Go figure a bike shop owner who isn't trying to over sell or act like he is too busy if you aren't buying immediately. He let me bring my bike in and work on it with his tools. He also let me test a few bikes around the block. Nice peeps and a sorely needed addition to the bike shop scene around the city.

I was riding my bike passed Big City Bikes and was interested in purchasing a single speed bike. This is definitely the place to go for single speed bicycles, they had so many options to choose from. The staff was very good about asking me questions in order to get the perfect bike for me. I will definitely come back here again and would recommend this place to anyone!

I bought a bicycle from Randalle at Big City Bikes. I've dealt with both Randalle and Saurabh. These guys are professional and courteous. These pros know and love bicycles and are great people. I've been in many bike shops around the country and the service you get at Big City is unmatched. I love my new bike! Thanks guys!!

I came into the shop knowing very little about bikes. They were very helpful in helping me find the right size and explaining the different types of frames. They even let you test any bike you want to try and see how it feels. He explains all the parts of the bike and tips on riding a bike in the city. The customer service is superb. I would definitely recommend this place for anybody who is looking for a bike! They care about their customers!

After a few months of research and a lot of saving, I've been in the market for a new bike. I've been in a few times, some when what seemingly has been the owner, and the other times were with what seems to be their only mechanic have been there. Both times I had been welcomed I felt differently. The owner seemed to just want to get me in and out, and didn't seem confident in his knowledge on bicycles. I'd like to thank Sal? Al? the mechanic who took his time the few times I came in the shop to test ride different bikes. He made sure before I walked out the door 100% loving my bike. Thank you so much to the knowledgeable mechanic.

Without a doubt the best bike shop in the city. I came in today after buying my first bike ever. I had zero prior knowledge on bikes when I walked into the door, but by the time I left I felt like an expert. The staff was seriously the best. He helped me every step of the way from tuning the bike to installing a brake line. Very good prices and a lot of expertise. 100% would recommend to both new and experienced riders!

What a find! This bike shop stopped me in my tracks as I was driving on Ashland. The bikes are beautiful and everyone there is so knowledgeable. I don't know much about bikes but these folks found me the perfect one. And it's beautiful too! Everyone should check this place out, you'll thank me for it!