Oak Park LBS?

[Lise]

Hi, gals,

My sister's informed me that my dear BIL wants a bike for his birthday :D ! I don't know what he's looking for, but I thought I'd get him a gift certificate to an LBS in their area as a starter.

Any recommendations for an Oak Park LBS? They live on the north east corner of town.

Thanks! Lise

[Fuji Girl]

There's a database of bike shops in the Chicagoland area:

http://www.chicagobikeshops.info/

I've had decent luck with the guys at Lickton's, however their selection is limited.

http://www.lickbike.com

There's also REI in Oakbrook too.

HTH!

[Lise]

Thanks, fuji!

Any more encounters with creepy old guy? I hope not. :mad:

[brok]

Not exactly in Oak Park, but there is a great LBS in St. Charles called The Bike Rack. I live 2 1/2 hours away and consider them my LBS:D

[Fuji Girl]

Thanks, fuji!

Any more encounters with creepy old guy? I hope not. :mad:

No, he's definitely moved out now. So creepy! So disgusting. Ew ew ew!

[betagirl]

Hey Lise

I just went LBS hunting the other day in Oak Park. I did go by Licktons, and their selection is rather small. They seem to be more of a components/parts type shop. It's very bare bones in there. They did have some bikes, but again not many. The guy referred me over to another place on North Ave, a few blocks west of Oak Park Ave. They definitely had more bikes, including some old skool looking things.

Barnard's Schwinn

http://www.barnardsschwinn.com/

I haven't been here but found it on yahoo yellow pages:

Oak Park Cyclery
1113 Chicago Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302 (almost into River Forest)
Phone: (708) 524-2453

They don't appear to have a website (how low tech).

Then there's Dan's bike shop, which I haven't been in, in Berwyn on Roosevelt:

http://dansbikeshop.us/

If you have time to buy your gift certificate, I can swing by OPC and Dan's in the next few days and scope them out if you'd like.

[Lise]

Hey Lise

I just went LBS hunting the other day in Oak Park. I did go by Licktons, and their selection is rather small. They seem to be more of a components/parts type shop. It's very bare bones in there. They did have some bikes, but again not many. The guy referred me over to another place on North Ave, a few blocks west of Oak Park Ave. They definitely had more bikes, including some old skool looking things.

Barnard's Schwinn

http://www.barnardsschwinn.com/

I haven't been here but found it on yahoo yellow pages:

Oak Park Cyclery
1113 Chicago Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302 (almost into River Forest)
Phone: (708) 524-2453

They don't appear to have a website (how low tech).

Then there's Dan's bike shop, which I haven't been in, in Berwyn on Roosevelt:

http://dansbikeshop.us/

If you have time to buy your gift certificate, I can swing by OPC and Dan's in the next few days and scope them out if you'd like.
Thanks so much, beta! I do have time--his b'day's at the end of the month. I would love it if you could check out OPC and Dan's for me. If not, no big, but if you can, great.

My sister just wrote me and said, "Oh just get him something to Sportmart". I wrote her back about why it really would be nice to have a relationship with an LBS.

Now I'm going back to bed. Food is staying in me now, but I am weak as a kitten. Working tonight...sleeping now. L.

[iliveonnitro]

I just wandered to this forum because my gf needs a new saddle, but I decided to register after seeing this thread.

My family purchsed two Trek bikes from Oak Park Cyclery (OPC) a little over a year ago and I wanted to give you a heads up before going there.

I was not happy with their service. My father purchased a Trek mountain bike there two years ago and he recommended the place. I went in to buy a similar (albeit slightly more expensive) bike, not knowing anything about bike fit/parts/brands/etc. They sold me a bike in my price range and gave me three coupons for a free tune up after one month and I cannot remember the other two.

I got a bike in my price range, but the guy only spent about two minutes sizing me - by eye. He never checked my inseam, never checked my reach or anything else. They sold the bike to me and sent me on my way. I learned two weeks later (and only two short rides later) that the bike was too big for me - the top tube was over 2" too big (and you think the difference between a 50cm and 52cm is noticable...). I brought it in to tell them that I wasn't comfortable on it, and they adjusted my saddle and said my reach was a little long and I could buy a replacement stem. I left and said I would see how this felt first.

I brought the bike for a tune up a few days over the expiration date and they wouldn't honor it...which had me leaving pissed.

A year passed and as I learned about bikes, I learned that the one I purchased was 2" too big, the one my dad purchsed was 2" too small (the same exact size frames, but he is 5" taller than me).

This year I bought a road bike - this time from a shop that I was referred to from a friend (Village Cyclesport in Elk Grove Village, IL). They took 30-40 minutes just making sure the bike fit and worked well (cleat position, seat height, reach, saddle fore/aft) for free. The reach turned out to be a little long (first time riding a road bike so I didn't know) so I came back two weeks later and they ordered and replaced the stem for free. I came in for my tune up after 30 days of riding (or a certain # of miles, whenever) and they didn't care when it was. When the front chainrings had a problem shifting, they replaced them saying it would be free of charge even though FSA denied the warranty. The problem persisted with the new chainrings, so they replaced them and also put a really nice/expensive chain on it, free of charge even though it may not be covered. They mechanics are nice, and will always help - the exact opposite of the vibe I got from OPC.

Good luck wherever you purchase.

[LoisLaneinIND]

Hey gang -- I'm moving to the Oak Park/Forest Park/River Forest area in a few days and I was hoping you could point me in the right direction for some bike paths. I've got hybrid tires on my mountain bike and I'm looking for something that's not too challenging, but enjoyable and not hard to reach. Any suggestions??

Oh, and, any good bars you'd recommend for us biker chick wannabees??

Thanks!
-A

[betagirl]

Hey LoisLane

Bike paths...hmmm. The closest one is the IL Prairie path, which you can pick up in Maywood. Unfortunately Maywood isn't the best neighborhood, so depending on your level of comfort there, you might want to go a little bit further west via car and then ride. The Prairie Path goes on for miles and miles. You can ride all the way out to Elgin or Aurora on it. If you do the entire loop, it's over 100 miles long. There are various branches, etc. It's a crushed limestone trail most of the way.

http://www.livin4jc.net/bike/trails/1-chicagoland/cook/illinois_prairie_path.htm

Beyond that, I'm not very familiar with bike paths around here. I tend to ride in the road. Oak Park and RF have wide roads with parking lanes, so if you're comfortable in traffic then it's very easy to get around town without using a path or sidewalks.

It sounds like you'd like the Oak Park Cycle Club also. I rode with them once, and they were very nice. Many of them rode hybrids. The only reason I don't ride with them is their average speed was a bit too slow for me. They do organized rides around the area on weekends/weekdays:

http://www.oakparkcycleclub.org/

A nice route is south down Oak Park Ave. and cutting over into Riverside and Brookfield. But again, that's all on the road. I'm not aware of a path that could take you out there. Check out their ride calendar for when everything is. They meet at Scoville Park, which is on the corner of Lake St. and Oak Park Ave.

Hope that helps. Welcome to Oak Park :D