Village Cycle Center

I don’t often give 5 Star reviews, however the efforts of David, Tim and Bill truly deserve It! It’s been almost twenty years since I have purchased my last bicycle a Trek 730 Multitrack that still is in perfect shape and has served me well. Searching for a new bike had me visiting several dealerships that will not be named (actually they don’t deserve a mention for their poor customer service). Visits to several local bike shops ranged from being totally ignored, given misinformation, prices changing depending who you spoke with on a second visit (that cost one shop out of a sale)
This led me to a Google search and discovering Village Cycle. I was totally impressed with their website! Not only was I able to research a huge variety of brands and types of bikes, I was able to do the same with the accessories too. I was impressed with a brand called Electra and their model called the Verse Equipe, that was even on sale too. I then telephoned the shop and spoke with a very knowledgeable gentleman named David who was most helpful. He even did something that most salespeople neglect to do, he asked for the sale by saying «Could I build one for you?». I replied yes, but I had two conditions, I wanted to pay cash (around the holidays, I really don’t make purchases by credit card, it’s too easy to go overboard), and I wouldn’t be able to pick it up until the following weekend. David said that wouldn’t be a problem and he had the bicycle built for me.
**There should be at least some type of warning attached to their website, because it is very addictive!
I went back to the site and found several accessories that I wanted added to the bike. I phoned the shop and this time I spoke with Tim who answered all my questions and made sure the accessories were added to my bike and it would be ready for pickup. With such excellent attention to customer satisfaction, I even signed up for their newsletter on their website. It was a pleasant surprise when they sent me a Christmas present, a $ 10.00 gift certificate! I was even more pleasantly surprised by Unilocal with an offer of $ 50.00 for $ 25.00, and an additional $ 10.00 off with $ 25.00 in accessories as a checkin offer!
Today I picked the bike up and they were just as incredible in person as they were on the telephone. I even found a couple more toys too add to the bike. Bill added the new toys to the bike, spent more time going of the features and accessories than the Mercedes dealer did when I got my new car. Mercedes didn’t even come close to the free services Village includes with your new bike purchase. He didn’t even grumble when a noticed a scratch of the front fender that was swapped out very quickly. Heck, he even helped me load it into my car.
I’m going to stop now, not only because I could go on much longer singing their praises; but I just got the bike home and I’m dying to take it for a ride!
If you need a new bicycle, don’t be put off by Village perhaps not being your local bike shop (it was over a 40 mile trek for me); it’s worth it to find an honest and helpful shop that isn’t going to «take you for a ride». Give Village a try! — Bill

Great customer service. The staff is always friendly and knowledgeable. The store is a neighborhood stable.
They had a hard to find bike rack in stock. Ken made sure I had all the right accessories for installation and installed the rack on my vehicle. I accidentally damaged a part for the rack, which Ken reordered.
They also have a nice selection of accessories.

Great spot for beginning bikers or those who take it a little more seriously. I was in the market for a couple accessories. One of the sales people walked me through all the options, explained everything to me and helped make a good decision. Didn’t feel pushy or like they were trying to sell the more expensive stuff. Would definitely return for any of my biking needs!

I have to update my review– I dropped in to pick up a new bike, but did not realize they do NOT allow test rides here! I was ready to pick up a bike, and actually walked out because I wasn’t able to ride the bike around the block! I know it is a small gripe, but what was frustrating because I really like this shop! As I mentioned before, I bought two bikes here previously, and have used them for service before and the staff is great!
I’ll be back, but just know you can only take the bike on a trainer– but you CAN return within 7 days. So if you are dead set on a model they have, you do have some options just in case it is not what you wanted. And I cannot emphasize enough, the service I have received at this shop is really top notch. Pricing is great too.

These guys are a class act and best in class at what they do. Friendly, helpful, knowledgable, attentive staff. Excellent service. Good selection of bikes and accessories. Not the cheapest place in town but as I understand it, the staff are on salary, not commission do you’re not pressured to buy and they will take as much time as you need to get comfortable with your purchase decisions. Glad to have them in the hood.
BTW, they have a Unilocal deal that hot can buy which can save you some $$$.

I recently purchased my Trek Chelsea 8 from here. I love this place! I was a bit nervous about coming to a large bike store on my own, but Jake was patient. Explained the different types and styles of bicycles to me and let me try several on the bike stand. Though it would have been better if I could do a road test (but I understand for theft reasons why they wouldn’t)
I could not have been happier with my choice!
I have been riding it for three days in a row, on the ‘606’, to run errands, to work and just for fun. I am so glad I went here and didn’t overspend (as much as I thought I would, but I am so glad I got what I purchased! Well worth it!)
The only draw back is when I went back to get my bike the next day for pick up the pedals didn’t match and one of the gears were off– but no biggie. Just inspect your purchase before you leave.

Awesome service and great deals all around! Went in search of a new road bike, completely new to the sport but have heard great things so wanted to give it a shot. Tyler, the sales associate, couldn’t have been more helpful. No up-​selling, just honest recommendations based on my feedback to his questions. If you are looking for unparalleled customer service and if you’re in the market for a new bike, you should go here.
Just a small knock, I was there on a pretty busy Saturday and the guys in the back actually servicing the bikes were slammed. One of them came out, saw a long line of customers and gave us all a solid five-​second menacing glare before turning around and walking away. Not a huge deal, just a little uncomfortable.

Great customer service experience. Initially I was not completely satisfied with the condition of my bike when I picked it up but I spoke to the manager, Catherine, and she went out of her way to ensure that I was taken care of.
I also need to thank one of your expert mechanics, Russ, for his work. He not only tuned my bike to perfection he remembered a conversation we had about a month earlier regarding the slope of my bars and my grips, he changed out the grips and I couldn’t be happier. That is definitely going above and beyond for your customers and I truly appreciate the effort.
Thanks again and I’ll see you guys next summer!

Superb customer service, coupled with a great selection and knowledgeable team makes for an all-​around great experience.
I bought a bike here back in winter 2012. The staff fitted me for a bike, and then walked me through all the important customization decisions (important for a potential racing bike). Throughout the process I was explained each decision, and not talked down to for not having extensive bike knowledge (not naming specific names, but other bike shops give off a judgy vibe). The bike came with a care/​maintenance package, and I have been coming back for over 3 years to have all my issues taken care of professionally. The staff is extremely knowledgeable, and are apologetic if they don’t get your bike fixed in 48 hours (really that’s a quick turnaround).
They also have a tent at the annual Bike-​The-​Drive event, and they saved my ass this year when a crash broke my real derailer. They had the piece, and I was able to get the bike up to their shop on N Wells later that day.

Village cycle didn’t let me down. I bought a carbon frame road bike from them in 2009 when I lived in Chicago. I now live in El Paso, TX. I have a small frame issue that may be covered by the manufacturer’s lifetime warranty. I need to present the receipt to the manufacturer. Small problem, the thermal printed receipt has faded into oblivion.
I called Village Cycle on a busy Saturday and expected to get no attention from them since I am no longer a customer due to my move. I thought it would take multiple follow up calls and weeks to get my receipt. To my surprise, an hour after my call, I received the needed receipt by email.
Character is how you treat people that can do nothing for you. Ken Frigo at Village Cycle demonstrated outstanding character and service.
Thank you!

The service here is exceptional. I got my first bike here and I’m enjoying every bit of her!
Thank you Matt for being so informative and having so much patience for this newbie!
I got the Trek Chelsea 8. She’s the perfect fit for a petite person like myself.

I have bought a bike here, had another one assembled and many upgrades/​maintenance. Everytime has been a treat. The staff always gives great advice, they want you to get the right product not just the most expensive.
Just took my road bike in for a fitting, Larry was awesome and gave great options. He was helpful, knowledgeable and friendly.

They have very nice friendly staff who know everything about bicycles especially the Trek brand of bikes. I didn’t buy a bicycle however my husband did. He loves his bicycle I’m sure this won’t be the last time I see this Cycle center.

I have had many interactions with Village Cycle Center all of them good. Once I went in to get replacement cleats, I thought I knew the model but when I showed the clerk the cleats he recognized right away the where an older model and he happened to have those in stock as well. If I had done that via mail order would have taken weeks not minutes and would have involved a lot of shipping costs.
Another time I had a grinding noise coming from my freewheel, took it to another closer bike shop and they said it would take a few days to fix and cost $ 60. Came to Village Cycle and they fixed it on the spot in 15 min and it was only $ 20.
I even bought an expensive Trek from them and we tried like 3 frame sizes before settling on one, seems I have been riding frames that were a little too big for me for a long time.

I had a flat tire and walked my bike to their store at about 8:40 PM, they close at 9, and a guy who was closing up shop stopped what he doing and fixed my tire and adjusted my spokes in about 15 minutes. He could have easily said, «come back tomorrow» but he made the choice to put a customer first and stay a bit later.
Also, they charged less than other shops in Chicago to fix a tire.
I will definitely be going back because of their price, customer service, and attitude.
Thank you.

I came in today to buy my first beach cruiser and the guy who helped me was great! He recommended different things for me and answered any questions that I had. Very fast checkout and my bike was ready in an hour. I am now loving my city cruiser and I will definitely recommend this place to anyone! I love my bike!

The best bike shop ever! I got a tune up for my bike and got new tires for my bike. I also bought the voucher too. All for $ 75! So technically i paid $ 100. But hey my bike feels brand new and I was having the time of my life riding it today. The employees were really nice and one of them gave me an adaptor for my new tires. will be going back again for any services. I do wish they had more parts for single speed bikes.

They tuned up my girl Penelope (yes I named my road bike) just in time for my century ride.
This place is always busy. I’ve been here early morning as soon as they open, afternoon and right before they close and there’s always a pack of avid cycle enthusiasts here. Guess that what happens when you live in a active city like Chicago.
They do tune ups, repairs, bike fittings and will adjust your bike as needed. All this for very reasonable prices. For instance, after using my indoor trainer all winter I needed new tires, retape my handlebars and lube my bike chain. They also fixed my bike computer. All for just under $ 100. I also had a groupon and the grand total was just $ 20 out the door! Woohoo!!! Ready for another summer of biking.
They also have numerous accessories for purchase.
Free parking down the street in a garage, but there’s also a loading zone directly in front of the store too.
Happy riding!

Just bought a Trek Madone here, and absolutely love the bike, was thrilled with the price, and really had a great experience service-​wise with Tyler. Seriously, Village is a cool place with people that genuinely know their stuff, aren’t too pushy, and love the sport — everything you want in a LBS (local bike shop).
So why the 3 stars? The only reason I post this is so they change (please!) their no-​test-​ride policy. I’ll change the review to a 5-​star review if this changes.
I understand test rides are a liability and as a business, I expect them to hedge risk. However, as someone spending $ 1000+ on a bike I really need to know how it rides before making the investment. I decided to pull the trigger because I had done a lot of research and I knew what I was looking for, but for the average customer I think this would be a detriment. To slightly make up for this, they did a great job fitting me on a trainer and the bike is very comfortable.
That said, thank you Village Cycles and especially Tyler! I’m really happy with the bike and I will be back… But probably after test-​riding any potential purchases at another shop.
EDIT: they reached out to me after posting this review and reminded me of the stellar return policy. I love my new ride so no returns here– but it’s nice to know.

Biked before our 90 day tuneup expired. Place was busy but there were a lot of employes working with customer. Steven took care of us and checked out gears and breaks. Also lifted our seats and gave us info about our gears. Really great people and cool bikes.