Where can one I get bike accessories/clothing in Chicago at affordable prices?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by jennifer james on December 26, 2011 at 3:41pm

Some of the shops out there are having some pretty big sales right now. Maybe check with Yojimbos or Rapid Transit as there had some sales going this month.  I have no idea about the pricing. 

Permalink Reply by Minh on December 26, 2011 at 3:53pm

Thanks I'll check out Yojimbos

jennifer james said:

Some of the shops out there are having some pretty big sales right now. Maybe check with Yojimbos or Rapid Transit as there had some sales going this month.  I have no idea about the pricing. 

Permalink Reply by Michael A on December 26, 2011 at 4:32pm

Continue to buy everything online and you will not have to worry about the prices at the LBS, they will have closed their doors.

Permalink Reply by Minh on December 26, 2011 at 5:12pm

I've bought bikes at the LBS so now I have to buy accessories too so they can stay open? -_-

Michael A said:

Continue to buy everything online and you will not have to worry about the prices at the LBS, they will have closed their doors.

Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on December 26, 2011 at 5:58pm

Hey, Minh-

 I was at Smart Bike Parts recently and they had a decent selection of winter gloves. I find the prices there to be pretty reasonable overall and I've gotten good service, too.

 -f

 

Permalink Reply by Adam "Cezar" Jenkins on December 26, 2011 at 6:08pm

Go go Ciclo Urbano. It is the shop side of West Town Bikes. The shop profit goes to support West Town Bike's programs.

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on December 26, 2011 at 6:32pm

Independent bike shops struggle with this problem. If you ever have opportunity to pick up a bicycle retailer trade mag you'll see that content relating to the problem of if and how to carry clothing and accessories peppers every issue.

The bottom line is that they have to charge that sort of margin in order to cover their overhead. It's not substantially different from the margin an independent clothing store or card shop or any other kind of retailer needs to charge.  They would all absolutely love to be able to match e-tailer prices, and they know very well what those are, but by their very nature they're not able to do the necessary volume to come close.

Would be nice if some folks that are "in the biz" could chime in here and give a little more insight-- it's not like your shop is crazy-busy right now . . .

To answer the question posed in the subject line-- I would much rather see people support their closest bike shop if it's at all competent; but in terms of brick-and-mortar options you're going to find the best selection and the lowest prices at Performance and REI.

Permalink Reply by Sol on December 26, 2011 at 8:53pm

I don't think the original poster was complaining about somewhat higher prices at stores when he compared them to shopping on line. His objection was that he thinks local cycling shops are charging way above the MSRP (or at least that was what he stated). I have not found that to be the case.

I live in Edgewater and I think most of the bike shops near me actually charge the MSRP or slightly less. That said, that price is still higher than the on-line price (which is usually substantially lower than MSRP) and obviously the selection is more limited by necessity. (I like Uptown bikes for accessories and Johnny Sprocket Edgewater for some accessories and mechanic services).

Closer to the OP's location, I am a big fan of the Bike Lane on Milwaukee. I think their prices are very reasonable for a bricks and mortar store, the staff is great and they have just about everything someone who rides around the city would need. If they don't have it, they will get it for you quickly at a fair price.

Also, cycling gloves are notoriously expensive generally. I just use regular sports oriented (as opposed to cycling specific) gloves and mittens for cycling in winter. Erehwon has a lot of good active wear clothing and I tend to like shopping there better than at REI, but that's because they have a larger selection of kid's sizes and I am vertically challenged.

Permalink Reply by S.Presley☠ on December 26, 2011 at 9:25pm

Smart bikes is pretty good. They give a discount to Active trans members(I hope I got that right)...But when I was in there the person working told me basically everyone gets that discount. It was great because it just erases the tax and you pay what's on the price tag.

Fran Kondorf said:

Hey, Minh-

 I was at Smart Bike Parts recently and they had a decent selection of winter gloves. I find the prices there to be pretty reasonable overall and I've gotten good service, too.

 -f

 

Permalink Reply by Minh on December 26, 2011 at 9:26pm

Hey guys I don't want to start any kind of war of LBS vs e-tailers. I just wanted to find shops where the prices were reasonable for accessories. Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I eventually ended up going to REI and bought a pair of these http://www.rei.com/product/743105/seirus-softshell-lite-gloves

I usually go to bike lane to get repairs or maintenance done on my bike. The mechanic that usually man's the store by himself on the weekdays is a great guy.

As a guitar player I'm no stranger to paying close to MSRP or MSRP. I guess in all hobbies there's a "price to be paid". This is a relatively new hobby for me only been seriously riding year round for the last 4 years.

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on December 26, 2011 at 9:39pm

That's some precise reading comprehension there- you should be a lawyer or something . . .

I guess I sort of auto-corrected there as far as the OP's intent went, as at a glance the idea that shops would be charging above MSRP didn't seem plausible . . . but I certainly could be wrong about that.

Sol said:

I don't think the original poster was complaining about somewhat higher prices at stores when he compared them to shopping on line. His objection was that he thinks local cycling shops are charging way above the MSRP (or at least that was what he stated). I have not found that to be the case.

I live in Edgewater and I think most of the bike shops near me actually charge the MSRP or slightly less. That said, that price is still higher than the on-line price (which is usually substantially lower than MSRP) and obviously the selection is more limited by necessity. (I like Uptown bikes for accessories and Johnny Sprocket Edgewater for some accessories and mechanic services).

Closer to the OP's location, I am a big fan of the Bike Lane on Milwaukee. I think their prices are very reasonable for a bricks and mortar store, the staff is great and they have just about everything someone who rides around the city would need. If they don't have it, they will get it for you quickly at a fair price.

Also, cycling gloves are notoriously expensive generally. I just use regular sports oriented (as opposed to cycling specific) gloves and mittens for cycling in winter. Erehwon has a lot of good active wear clothing and I tend to like shopping there better than at REI, but that's because they have a larger selection of kid's sizes and I am vertically challenged.