Hi Jim--sorry, unsure if this is as private as PM but we have to be friends before I can message you. Feel free to destroy after reading.
I never bought a bike there but I used to commute to downtown Evanston from the South Loop; Turin was the nearest store so I often took my bike there for service, or stopped in when I needed parts and accessories. I felt like customer service was downright neglectful unless you were standing at the counter right in front of them. On several occasional I went it, browsed for 20 minutes, settled on the item I needed (like a helmet, or fenders), and the checkout was the first time anybody even acknowledged me. Other times I was ready to drop some dough there on something vaguely big-ticket like a pair of panniers or rain gear and nobody ever even talked to me, so I didn't end up buying there. On the occasions they did talk to me, I felt like they were steering me in directions that were not necessarily what I needed, like to tires that were too light/skinny to stand up to a commute like mine over city streets.
No quarrel with the mechanics, they always did fine work.
I don't expect to have somebody kissing my ass over every blinky or spare tube, but I think it's reasonable to expect some level of customer service when you're looking at mid-ticket accessories (or at least checking whether you need help or info or not). I know my way around a bike enough that I was able to do okay on my own, but my friend is an utter novice, so it's not a place I would send him.
It has been several years since I've been there, so they may have totally turned it around, but my experiences were consistent enough over several years that I don't feel like I'm being unfair.
Colin Murphy
Hi Jim--sorry, unsure if this is as private as PM but we have to be friends before I can message you. Feel free to destroy after reading.
I never bought a bike there but I used to commute to downtown Evanston from the South Loop; Turin was the nearest store so I often took my bike there for service, or stopped in when I needed parts and accessories. I felt like customer service was downright neglectful unless you were standing at the counter right in front of them. On several occasional I went it, browsed for 20 minutes, settled on the item I needed (like a helmet, or fenders), and the checkout was the first time anybody even acknowledged me. Other times I was ready to drop some dough there on something vaguely big-ticket like a pair of panniers or rain gear and nobody ever even talked to me, so I didn't end up buying there. On the occasions they did talk to me, I felt like they were steering me in directions that were not necessarily what I needed, like to tires that were too light/skinny to stand up to a commute like mine over city streets.
No quarrel with the mechanics, they always did fine work.
I don't expect to have somebody kissing my ass over every blinky or spare tube, but I think it's reasonable to expect some level of customer service when you're looking at mid-ticket accessories (or at least checking whether you need help or info or not). I know my way around a bike enough that I was able to do okay on my own, but my friend is an utter novice, so it's not a place I would send him.
It has been several years since I've been there, so they may have totally turned it around, but my experiences were consistent enough over several years that I don't feel like I'm being unfair.
Cheers,
Colin
Mar 5, 2012
Adam Z
Apr 21, 2012
Adam Z
Jim is a man of honor. He returned my polar bottle.
Apr 26, 2012
Joe Studer 8.0 mi
Trying to answer you on my phone, and my big fingers keep hitting the wrong buttons. Sorry. But, yes, the pedals are still available. Cheers.
Jun 8, 2012