Ciclo Urbano

Hey I gotta say first class treatment all the way from their boss to the workers in the shop they believe in the red carpet treatment unlike a lot of our military processing centers but that’s another story. Brought my bike in n they killed it my bike is awesome thanks a million and as I said I’ll swing some more Army pens your way. If you need work on your bicycle this is definitely the place to go to hands down.

It seems like it’s all been said before, but– I hit a pothole on my way home last night and didn’t realize that I had knocked my bike seat backwards until about 20 minutes into my morning commute, when I felt like I was falling onto the back wheel. I stopped by this shop, where a guy with red hair and a great smile told me I had bent the seat beyond repair. He offered advice on picking out a new bike seat (only when asked, which I appreciated), told me a few things about the bike locks I was looking at, and didn’t shame me or insinuate that I was stupid, despite the fact that what I did (riding in the morning without assessing the damage) was indeed pretty stupid.
If you’re looking for a place with friendly service, relatively cheap prices, standard & good gear, and a bike pump out front, this is the one. Highly highly recommend.

I visited the shop a total of 3 times until they were able to fix my bike. After multiple assurances that my bike was fixed and fully repaired.
I paid $ 81 for a mediocre tune up that wasn’t even finished the first time I came to pick it up. The tune up was said to fix my flat tire among other things, in which they told me would be covered under the specific tune up package. After receiving my bike, the tire was not properly fixed to the rim, resulting in the flat not being fixed. Then having to leave my bike there for another day, they specifically explained to me it was the inner tube that needed fixing, an additional $ 5.49. Also having to take a $ 10 cab ride to work.
The next morning, the tire was flat again, in which I had to walk the bike to the shop AGAIN, in order to fix the flat. They stated, it was bad tubing and replaced the tube again. They also stated after I asked them about these rips in the tire if it was the tire. They specifically said no, those are just little tears from wear and tear. Another $ 10 cab ride to work.
The third day, my bike looked fine the tire was enflated. I went from Division/​Homan to Ohio/​Grand before I got yet another flat tire. I called them about the issue again, they said Ok it’s probably your tire. So an addition to the $ 81 tune up package, plus an additional $ 18 for a new tire. I will hopefully pick up my bike today good and ready to go.
I realize this is maybe not considered a professional shop, however, my expectations were high in the sense they should have inspected my tire the first time in order to rule out any possible issues and to proceed to the fix. As what I assume, is procedure when fixing a repair. That’s how you know what repair needs to be done.
The guys in the shop were friendly and seemed knowledgeable however my specific experience leads me to believe that they are not in terms of solving difficult problems. The initial bike tune up package I agreed to, in my opinion was not worth the $ 75 base price and I wish I would have just googled how to do simple maintenance on my bike rather than paying them to do it and would have gotten my bike fixed at Kozys Cyclery instead, as I have had much better experiences with them. All in all I wish I could receive a refund for the tune up package, but I doubt that will be happening. I paid $ 99 total for mediocre repairs – if you want to call them that and overall was not satisfied as their incomplete repairs have caused lead to me to be late to work almost the entire week, and paying $ 40 in cab fare. Not to mention the added stress I endured going through this entire process that could have been avoided and they could have had a happy customer had they finished their job in the first place.
Et. Final, I will not be visiting this repair shop in the future. However it is so close to my house, I will gladly make the trek elsewhere to avoid the stress again.

Riding home from work yesterday, I broke a spoke on my rear wheel. I had been breaking spokes recently so it was time for a new wheelset. I’m new to the hood so I needed a new local bike shop. I walked down to Ciclo Urbano and Anthony took care of my bike right before closing time with a new set. Purchased and installed while I waited!
They were bumping some classic 2000s hip hop, which is great to listen to while getting your bike worked on (try it out sometime). I also had a discussion with Felix about the benefits of yoga. Definitely bring that up when you go in. Great crew, can’t wait to go back for all my bicycle service needs.

When I brought my bike out of storage the tires were flat. Of course I was not paying attention when pumping air in it and the rubber, as it was inflating, popped off the rim. Luckily I walked right to this awesome spot and brought the bike in and they fixed it right away. It took less than ten minutes and only $ 16. I hopped on my bike and biked 35 miles around the city today.

This shop is amazing and has helped me recover my sister’s stolen bike! It was stolen out of my storage unit and happened to turn up at their shop, and the manager Michael was suspicious so took note of the serial number and tracked down my sister to let her know, but it was too late to call the police since there was no confirmation. They took note of the bike and kept a look out for it, and sure enough it turned up back at the shop 2 months later! If it weren’t for the amazing manager and his staff I don’t think I would have ever seen this bike again. They truly went above and beyond a normal shop and really tried to help. I appreciate their integrity and honesty, and I would definitely go back to buy a bike or repairs. They also do great work servicing the local community which I have a lot of respect for. A happy ending! Thanks again!

I had a tune-​up done earlier this week. The turnaround was faster than any of the four other Chicago shops I’ve used, and the new chain they installed is great.
I could tell the bike was test driven after work was completed (because the seat height was off), and I’m glad. I’ll be coming here again for things I can’t fix on my own.

If the service at Ciclo Urbano was75% as good as its excellent social mission, I’d go back. But the service sucked (I dealt with a manager) and the work done on my bike was inadequate. I had to go to a different shop for a tune-​up less than two months after I got my bike back from Ciclo Urbano.

Excellent service & prices! Ciclo Urbano is buzzing with activity and a friendly atmosphere. I was able to get my bike repaired and save some money.
I decided to ride my mountain bike on a trail for the first time this summer. Unfortunately, I got stranded with a non working bike in the middle of a forest with mosquitoes voraciously attacking me and deer feeding on grass in the background. Fortunately, I was able to walk back to civilization and have a family member give me a ride back to my car. The next day I was determined to get my bike fixed, so that I could use it before the good weather passes me by. The rear wheel on my bike wasn’t moving when I moved the front pedals. I did some research on the internet and found out it had something to do with the rear hub assembly. There were several videos on YouTube were mechanics were servicing the free hub cartridge of the rear hub.
However, when I went to Performance & two Kozy’s bike stores the mechanics told me the rear hub couldn’t be serviced and that I had to buy a new wheel for $ 90, chain for $ 20 and rear sprocket cassette for about $ 40. My bike is a 16 year old Trek 820, so I didn’t want to spend close to $ 200 for the repair.
Luckily, I came across Ciclo Urbano while doing a search for bicycle repairs and used bikes on Google. As soon As I brought my bike and explained my problem, Jean Carlos & Felix knew what was causing my problem. They showed me the Shimano free hub cassette replacement part; and I gave them the ok to replace the part. Jean Carlos replaced the part within 30 minutes. He did what three other so called professional shop mechanics said was impossible or too time consuming. He let me watch him while he worked and answered a lot of my questions. You could tell he loves what he’s doing. He also replaced my rear shifter cable, replaced my chain and adjusted my brakes for much less than my previous estimates.
The store and bike shop have a friendly vibe and you could sense the camaraderie amongst the young mechanics. I love the fact that West Town Bikes and its store Ciclo Urbano support the youth of the community by teaching them bicycle repairs with their workshops. It’s nice to see a business that supports the community instead of corporate greed. I will definitely return to Ciclo Urbano for any future repairs and purchases.

On a talent scale of one to Lindsay Lohan, my bike riding skills sit very low. Like, haven’t been on a bike in 15 years low. Suffice it to say when i made the decision to purchase a bike I didn’t have the slightest clue what I was looking for. After a recommendation from another bike store (Comrades– shout out cuz they were some cool peeps as well) I came to Ciclo Urbano looking for a used bike.
Enter Emily– clearly a seasoned rider and professional badass, she was one of the most helpful people I have ever worked with, in any vertical. She was patient, put up with my novice like questions, sent me on a test ride and told me honestly that at that time they did not have a bike to fit my smaller than average frame. She told me the right questions to ask and explained different options. She invited me to check back and recommended other places to look.
Although I did end up getting a bike elsewhere because its slim pickins for us vertically challenged folks, I will certainly be back to Ciclo Urban for any service I need for Champagne in the future (yes, I gave my bike a stripper name).

All right, y’all, here’s the deal. I usually only write reviews if I’ve been somewhere a few times and I really have a true feel for the place. That is the case with Ciclo Urbano. I bought my bike there a year ago and have been going in here and there along the way to buy more things or have my bike looked at. The staff has always been 100% friendly and polite (and usually pretty funny too!) and I have walked out of the shop satisfied every single time. I forgot that I was due a 6 month free tune up. The manager, Michael, honored my tune up almost a full year later.
They are definitely very busy so try to schedule an appointment for maintenance work. If you’re going to shop for bikes and they’re busy, they’ll help you no doubt, but they also try to juggle all of the customers so be patient. They do bikes right. You get to try out as many bikes as you like (you just have to leave an ID at the counter) and they will make sure the bikes fit you. Everyone knows EVERYTHING about bikes there. It’s amazing. And this coming from a chick whose father AND brother custom build bikes at home! So don’t be afraid to ask questions about the bike, parts, labor, riding in the city, workshops on how to fix a flat, etc. They have answers. They also have community workshops in the back space. How awesome is that?!?
And to sweeten the deal, the prices are very reasonable and on certain things you can bargain on the price (like the used bikes and maybe even the labor). But darn it they’re so awesome and do so much good for the Humboldt Park community, they deserve every penny. Hands down the best place I’ve been for bikes. My still rides like a champ and now has a sweet bell, fenders, a front basket and rear rack installed. I’m ridin’ with style. Go to Ciclo Urbano and find your sweet ride too!

This bike shop is very close to my house, so I have gone in consistently over the years and have seen how it changed. I used to go in and be frustrated because they did not have what I needed. Once they were even sold out of chain lube.
Last year though, they got a new Manager and he has really improved the quality of service and product dramatically. Not only is he very informative and actively problem-​solvies with customers to get them what they need at a price they can afford, but he also stocks the shop thoughtfully. They still don’t have 20 kinds of everything you could need (I wish they had more purple accessories), but they do have all the essentials in stock consistently. They can also help you understand the difference between the products they do carry, and they are happy to special order anything that they don’t.
Most importantly, mechanics at Ciclo are trustworthy. I’ve taken my bike in in a panic, assuming that it would be a costly fix or that something needed to be replaced. They quickly took a look at it, diagnosed it and were often able to adjust away my blues for free.
Now I try to go to Ciclo for all my bike needs. A great staff and proceeds support youth programming. What else could you want?

I came here looking for a bike. As i was locking my old bike to their rack outside, i saw a group of young men (middle schoolers) talking shop. Ciclo Urbano has some really cool new bikes and a decent selection of used, however, nothing that fit my particular needs. I spoke with a woman (didn’t get her name) at length. She was so wonderful. She gave me tips about what to look for and where to look. I wanted so badly to support this place with a bigger purchase but instead walked out with a blinky light, great suggestions and a smile. I know that their selection changes daily so I’ll be back. Check this place out. They do good things.

Amazing place. Alex Wilson is truly a hero of the community. Come here to buy everything you need for a bike, forget the big corporate bike stores. This place is doing great things.
Not only does this place have great products, a helpful staff and convenient location. They run a free bike workshop in the back and do camps and training for youth in the area.
Feel free to drop in with random questions, everyone is super helpful.
Ciclo Urbano is truly the heart of Chicago Cycling. I met the guys from this store years ago when Alex and Chopper Carl rode by me on the way to critical mass, blasting music from a bike stereo and waved for me to join in. This kind of summarizes why this place is so great.
Love giving them business and donating my time to their non for profit section West Town Bikes. I encourage anyone and everyone to come check it out.

Went in again, and could not be happier. This is totally my favorite bike shop in all of Chicago so far.
These guys are very unpretentious, which is greatly appreciated. In some bike shops I’ve been to, I’ve asked how something works and was given a rushed explanation as if they didn’t have the time or will to share these esoteric bike secrets to a lowly novice.
Nope, not here. I asked what kind of fiddling was being done to my bike, and it was explained to me complete with pointing at specific things and answers to little questions along the way.
I went in for a flat, but ended up getting that fixed, a new tire AND a quick little tune up for dirt cheap!
These guys are so rad, and you should absolutely get your bike fixed/​tuned/​filled/​cleaned here.

Mitzvah: a good deed done for the pure desire to do something good without expecting anything out of it for yourself.
That might not be how all my people define that word, but that’s how I do. Ciclo Urbano, you did me a mitzvah today. May you get lots of love in return for all the good you do.
My problem: I went on a trip with my bike and when I came back and put it back together again I sort of did it wrong. And lost a few parts? I humpty-​dumptied it, all right. I wanted to throw my allen wrench across the room, but I went to your shop for help instead. And not only did everything on my bike get fixed, but the lovely Brandon (I hope that was your name, man) took the time to show me how to do a better fix-​it job myself the next time I pack/​unpack up ye olde bike in a box.
First, he encouraged me to watch everything he did up close and take in all the lessons. Seriously? Seriously. He even asked me some questions about my bike’s fit and made some small adjustments to the bars and brakes. Another amazing person in the shop went and took the slight wobble out of my back tire as well. The result? Holy crap, my bike rides better now than it ever did before. For a bike that was already well-​fitted, I didn’t think that was possible.
Maybe it was a slower day for the crew, but even on a slow day I never would have expected this kind of attention and care, ever. It was not only the opposite of the alienation I’ve felt from mechanics at many other bike shops, but it was actual camaraderie. It’s something that means so much and takes so little and I have only thanks to give. The handful of tips I learned will save me a lot of heartbreak in the future. Nice going, you guys. Big fan.

Fantastic bike shop. I completely agree with Missy S.‘s review:
1) Incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, respectful staff
2) Great prices and focused on customer service over cash
3) Great communication with the customer during repairs
4) Unbelievably fast turnaround on repairs.
I’ve been to a dozen shops around the city and live next door to another excellent bike shop, but I still make the commute here. Highly recommended.

Great bike shop for sales and service. My husband recently got an AMAZING deal on a used bike that had been donated. The staff was friendly and knowledgable about what add ons the bike needed. They also have a small but really good selection of bike accessories, including: fenders, helmets, lights, etc.
I was really impressed with their selection of youth and kids bikes.
We hope to get back there soon for both service and maybe to buy a used road bike.

Great shop in the front, great programs in the back. Ciclo Urbano offers affordable and honest bike repairs and a friendly staff. They offer memberships which entitle you to a discount, and you can participate in a variety of open shops (in the back) and classes (I took build-​a-​bike) as well as volunteer opportunities. Located on Paseo Boriqua, Ciclo Urbano/​West Town Bikes is a true neighborhood gem dedicated to putting more people on bikes, and teaching kids to love bikes! Great staff, great shop, great mission.

Awesome