Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on June 15, 2013 at 9:59am

Bicycles etc. In Lisle on College Ave. Honest and respectful.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Drewbacca on June 15, 2013 at 6:13pm

Another vote for Bicycles etc. Either in Lisle or the other location off of 59. They are hands down the best in or around Naperville. I second the honest and respectful thing, they really are. If your friend wants to check out a few shops, Hartley's in Hinsdale is also really good. 

She might want to check out Bike Line too, since she is looking for mtb/hybrid and they have a lot of Kona bikes in stock. 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bez on June 16, 2013 at 11:47pm

I'm in Naperville area as well.  I don't know anything about the Lisle store, but I'm really not a fan of the Rt 59 Bicycles, etc.  Every time I have gone in that store, I've gotten a condescending attitude from the employees.

The Performance on 59 is decent.  Being Performance, though, the shop is pretty standard corporate stock.  The employees seem to rarely have an attitude, and Joe in particular has been extremely helpful to my wife whenever she has questions.  There is also at least one woman working there, and she was very helpful with finding my daughter a correctly sized bike.  The new guys seems to be clueless, but that's to be expected and there are usually 4-5 employees standing around either working or just hanging out.  We usually go there for standard stuff (gloves, lights, etc), and as a bonus they have a points card that basically gives 10% cash back as a coupon.

I also really like Spokes on Washington, but it's a drive if I want to go there because I'm pretty much on the opposite side of town from there.  The staff seems knowledgeable and nice.  I took a seat collar in there to get a locking skewer and they hooked me right up with options.  As a bonus, one of the older employees was telling road-racing stories.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Drewbacca on June 20, 2013 at 6:54pm

"Bike Line is history."

I was just in there a couple of months ago... crazy. If I recall, one of their mechanics started his own shop   within the last year; I imagine that has more to do with it than the economy. 

It's also funny how experiences differ. I've always felt ignored in Spokes while Bicy. etc. has been more conversational and helpful. Nothing against Spokes though, I've had decent experiences in both of their locations. I think it really comes down to the time of day, time of year, and what you are looking for. 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Dave Jacque on June 21, 2013 at 2:17am

I've been a customer of Spokes and Bicycles Etc. for years, and my disposable income gets about evenly distributed at both stores. I've had good-to-great experiences with the staff. Spokes carries mainly higher-end machines and accessories. Etc. in Lisle does excellent repairs at reasonable rates.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on June 21, 2013 at 2:49pm

I am only familiar with Spokes on Rt 59. I think there is one in Wheaton and maybe others. I bought a bike from Spokes on Rt 59 a few years ago and when the temperature dropped below 30 degrees the brakes and shifting did not work. Try as they might, they could not fix the problem. So, the owner blamed me for trying to ride a bike in winter; they were not made for that. It was not until I contacted the manufacturer about my unsafe bike that they refunded my purchase. The Spokes on Rt 59 owner relunctantly gave me my money back and was rude about it.

Dave Jacque said:

I've been a customer of Spokes and Bicycles Etc. for years, and my disposable income gets about evenly distributed at both stores. I've had good-to-great experiences with the staff. Spokes carries mainly higher-end machines and accessories. Etc. in Lisle does excellent repairs at reasonable rates.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bez on June 22, 2013 at 12:29am

I've had occasion to go into Bicycles a few  times in the last couple of weeks and the experience was a complete 180 from previous.   So,  there is that.   Also,  they were the only place we were able to find a basket for my daughter's bike that she loves. 

Drewbacca said:

"Bike Line is history."

I was just in there a couple of months ago... crazy. If I recall, one of their mechanics started his own shop   within the last year; I imagine that has more to do with it than the economy. 

It's also funny how experiences differ. I've always felt ignored in Spokes while Bicy. etc. has been more conversational and helpful. Nothing against Spokes though, I've had decent experiences in both of their locations. I think it really comes down to the time of day, time of year, and what you are looking for. 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on June 22, 2013 at 3:19am

Thanks, Evan. Spokes on Washington is where my brake and shifting problems were blamed on me for trying to ride a bike in winter.

Evan said:

Do you mean Bicycles, etc on 59? Spokes is on Washington..

• ▶ Reply