J & R Cycle & Ski

Excellent service! I was in the market for a new bike but wasn’t 100% sure what I wanted to get. My first time in I worked with one of the owners to narrow down my options by discussing my needs, wants, and plans for riding. She was extremely helpful, honest, and completely certainly not a «high pressure“sales person. I test rode a few bikes and left to think about what I wanted to do.
After a few days I called to see if the bike I had decided on was in stock in my size, after a little discussion about my height, we decided it would be best if I came back in to make sure I would be getting the right size. Glad I did because though I’m 5’7, my legs are longer than some people and I might have gotten the wrong size. They didn’t have that size in stock so they ordered it right away. It arrived a few days later and they assembled it for me. I came in and met with the other owner and test rode it. It was perfect!
I have been riding it every other day for the past few weeks when I started to hear a strange noise when braking. I called them up and they told me to bring it that day to check it out. Their mechanic checked it out and had it fixed that same day.
Everyone I had contact with was very friendly, helpful, and professional. I’ll definitely be coming back for service on my bike and maybe even for a new bike for my husband!

I’ve been in and out of this shop quite a few times over the past few months. (You should check out their remodel, very nice). Today I came in with a tricky situation and left in a better place. The owner and staff are models of customer service.

Just went to J&R for the first time and I told them I thought I needed two new tubes. I was quite surprised when they talked to me into only replacing one, and told me that the other still had a lot of life left in it. That kind of integrity is so hard to find these days. Plus, I was super happy with the cost being lower than what I had experienced at my old go to shop. Oh, I’ll be back!

J&R’s has great customer service and advice, as well as a lot of stock. We will be going back for all of our biking needs. We went into get a first bike for my son. The salesperson was great and noted that he was sort of between sizes, and would likely be better off learning on a smaller less expensive bike. As a result, we left without purchasing a bike, but we will be back in the near future to buy that bike my son!

I learned of this store a year ago and each time I’ve gone in I’ve received instant personalized service on the spot. I’ve had minor work done on my bike several times, and have purchased a new seat, had brakes fixed, etc. This past week I was shopping for a new bike and had been pretty frustrated. I had been to four shops and could not find the right style and size bike for me. Lorna the owner partner stepped in when she heard me talking and know exactly what I needed and wanted. I had found 2 Trek models online that I wanted to see and she already had put her hands on one model before I even explained which two I wanted to see. I did not end up getting my bike there although did want to – I found my perfect size, type, model and color elsewhere, but I will still stop in and give them some business.

Although I bought my Trek bike elsewhere (they didn’t have the one I wanted in stock at the time… I’m impatient) I never hesitate to take my Trek to J & R for service and accessories. The owner is usually on site and is extremely nice and helpful. He’s personally taken care of minor fixes for me in a matter of minutes without me having to leave the bike overnight. When I bought my wife a bike I didn’t consider going anywhere else. J & R Cycle does business the right way.

I purchased a Trek hybrid here a couple of months ago. I was gearing up to do my first triathlon this summer and had not been on a bike in a couple of years. I had been to a few bike shops before I went to J&R Cycle and had left feeling overwhelmed, mainly because the other shops had tried to sell me on *a whole lot of bike* (trying to convince me I needed a carbon road bike) and also because the other shops had a difficult time fitting me with a bike (I am on the shorter side at 5’0).
I felt that the people here were very knowledgeable and honest. The woman behind the counter talked with me about my bike needs, as I had been trying to decide to make the plunge and buy a carbon road bike or start off with a hybrid. One of the guys in the store helped fit me with a bike, which has turned out to be a great! fit. I am so happy with my purchase. Since getting my bike about 2 months ago, I ride it about 75 miles per week. It was the perfect purchase and it got me into enjoying the ride.
I have also purchased a bunch of bike gear and accessories here. I have been happy with all my purchases and the staff are very knowledgeable about their inventory and what you need. Lastly, and definitely one of the best aspects of shopping here, is that the staff take the time to show you how to set things up and use the gear. For example, I purchased a bike rack and a kiddie trailer. They took the time to walk me through all the specs for the products and showed me how to hook everything up. I am mechanically challenged so this was so helpful!
I would definitely recommend their shop! And, I expect that I will be a regular customer for a long time to come!

I bought a hybrid Trek from J&R about a month ago, and I LOVE my purchase. And I had a great experience at this shop. Everyone… from the sales person to the mechanic in back, and the owner of the shop… was very friendly and helpful. They were all knowledgeable about the products, didn’t try to oversell me something, and spent the right amount of time with me answering my questions, and making sure I got the right bicycle for me. This is how a business should be!

Went in to buy a pair of replacement road tires — inexpensive, for road training (700×23). The woman at the counter pulled one off the shelf in the back, told me they were $ 29.99 each. I asked if she had any that were less expensive. She answered «probably not».
Do you or don’t you have any that are less expensive?
I went to Performance Bikes (a couple miles down the road) and bought a pair of (admittedly lower-​end) training tires for $ 33.00 total (including tax) — which is what I had wanted from J&R. J&R «probably» (no, definitely) lost a sale.
I will admit that the place was extremely well-​stocked with bikes, and have a very complete repair shop.

I’m getting back into biking this summer and my older bikes needed constant repairs. Although I do the work myself, I found this local bike shop to be far more helpful than I would typically expect, time and again. Even when I bought the wrong tubes, they took the returns without hassle and made sure that I had all the tools and know how to replace the tires myself. J&R has been a great find. I enjoy returning there for my needs.

After not having a bike since I was a kid, I decided to do a little research and find a bike that I could do trail riding with along with some street riding. This took me to J & R Cycle. I knew the type of bike I was looking for and even had a model picked out that was at the right price range. I got helped pretty much immediately. The guy helping me turned out to be the owner and showed me the bike I was looking for and also showed me last years model of the bike that was on sale. I tried a few different sizes as well to see which felt good to me. He also had a 2 year old bike that was a model above what I was looking for. Price was great, and I ended up going with the better older bike. My experience was great. These guys know what they are doing and truly seem to enjoy it. I will keep going back and will recommend this place to anyone that asks.

As somebody who was looking for a little assistance to jump start a bike rehabilitation project, this place was just what I needed. I thought I would need a lot more repairs done to my bike (which means spending more $$$) but they got me out of the door for under $ 100 (including a brand new seat).
The woman at the front also let me in the back and showed me some quick tips on wheel /​tire replacement. The guy doing a lot of the work in back was in a great mood, very helpful about answering questions in between singing along with songs on the radio.
I warned them that I’ll probably be back a lot in the next couple of weeks asking for advice and buying smaller items to tweak the bike to near-​perfection. I’m already thinking about heading back later this week for some new brake pads!

My mom’s 70’s Schwinn has seen better days, but it’s still my favorite mode of transportation. After a 30 year riding hiatus, I thought Shcwinny was just about ready for another ride. I’m not quite sure what the conversion rate is in bike years, but 30 seems to be nearing the time Schwinny would be looking into funeral costs. There was no way I could accept the death sentence set upon my bicycle, and headed straight into the bargaining phase. I told Schwinny to grasp the reins of her old handlebars, get in gear, and take charge of her life. Well, she wasn’t completely motivated by my speech, so I did the next best thing.
I bought Schwinny a pretty floral basket in hopes of raising her spirits. She obliged for a while and seemed to enjoy Lombard’s pavement. But after a few more spins of her wheels, she deflated. I called an ambulance (my mom’s SUV), and took her to the emergency room (J&R Cycle). J&R fixed her tubes in a matter of minutes. What seemed like Schwinny’s last ride was really the beginning of her new life in Lombard. The staff here didn’t make fun of Schwinny’s old age, her ugly brown skin (someone PLEASE paint her for me), and told me they’d seen a lot of bicycles her age come and go through their shop. She was amongst friends at J&R! Schwinny put down her kickstand and hung out with the bikes for a while, shining reflectors at each other and making a light show. I love J&R for making my bike feel like a tricycle again.

I’m a born and raised suburbanite, hoping to get out and take on some trails and/​or the lakefront sometime soon.
took my bike here to get the rear tube replaced. it had become deflated on a ride to work in peoria last fall. i hadn’t ridden the bike since, and wanted to get back on, so i took it to J & R.
nice little family-​owned shop. the woman who greeted me assessed the problem, and asked if i wanted to replace the tube myself or have them do it. i haven’t the first idea how to do that, so i asked them to do it for me. I saw the kid who rang me up do two different amounts, one for $ 7-​something, and one for $ 8. I’m assuming one of those is «labor»? and if so, is that a lot?
First thing the kid says to me as he takes out the old tube to show me, «looks to me like you’ve got a bit of a hole here.» well no kidding. that’s why i’m here. he did go on to check out the rest of the bike, since i hadn’t used it in a year, so i guess that was cool.
got what i needed, but not a lot of extra questions or help to assess if there was anything else i needed. so, neither a positive nor negative experience. i was hoping for a little more «service», but not unhappy with what i got.