Quick Release Bike Shop

I’ve been here once before and I have to say any more problems with my bike I’m coming back to Joe! I just went in to get my pedal fixed, it snapped right off, and I was impressed how fast and cheap this was. Really love this place!

Nice guy, but didn’t want to admit he charged me and did not fix the problem with my bike. I brought in my bike for a clicking noise that occurs while I pedal. Left my bike overnight and it was done the next day. When I picked it up I paid $ 20, which I thought was fair. When I rode my bike home I noticed the clicking noise was still there. Brought it back the next day and he said he tightened some stuff and it is fixed, although it wasn’t. Then he gave me some nonsense excuse saying it could be the way I pedal… this isn’t my first bike, I’ve had others that were fine. Anyway, I feel like he charged me $ 20 to do nothing and won’t admit it. He also told me not to bring back the bike for this problem, because it’s fixed. Won’t be coming back here!

I had a problem with a tire on an old mountain bike and Joe fixed it up in 5 min and didn’t even charge me! he also gave me maintenance advice and was very friendly! I have never written a Unilocal review before, but he deserves it!

Just fabulous. I came in with a bent rear dérailleur hanger, and was quite scared about how bad my bike was acting. Joe walked me through all that was wrong, how it likely happened and walked me through exactly how he fixed it. He was slow and patient and very practical. He demonstrated profound expertise.
Also, as an added benefit, his wife was there working with him in the shop. Between the two of them, I felt like I was in the best hands ever. Thanks so much!

Quick Release is quality work with fair prices. Joe takes his time to see what’s wrong and make sure you get what you need not just selling you things. Works up well.

I have been going to Quick Release for many years. Joe is a fabulous bike mechanic but equally important he is such a good, honest man with natural kindness and a quiet thoughtful manner. There was one ridiculously negative review many years ago which needs to be dismissed once and for all as saying more about the reviewer than about Joe. Joe is never condescending and treats men and women with equal respect.

This place is the absolute best. Fair prices, wonderful owner. Makes the neighborhood a warmer place.

Its not the Summer without my bike and I had a flat in my front tire. I was going to take it to Rapid Transit but realized how long it would take for me to walk it over. Remembering that Quick Release was around the corner, I ventured my way down Ashland. Upon my entrance, the owner stopped what he was working on and attended to my bike right away! He fixed it in less than ten minutes and I was ready to say hello to my bike again. Super cheap as well, so I gave him a tip. You can’t beat the wonderful sounds of classical music as he was fixing my bike too. :)

The service here is excellent, the repairs are on point, and the price is way too cheap. I’ve been charged twice as much at other local bike shops for similar repairs. Really glad I found this place.

Hadn’t ridden my bike in years and I thought that I had a leak in both tires. So I brought my bike into the shop and the owner (who I figured to be Joe from the other posts) pumped them both up and they have been good since. In addition, I inquired about raising the handle bars so I wouldn’t have to bend over so much to ride and he adjusted it on the spot. All for no charge. Really nice guy. Will be back for anything else that needs fixing on my bike.

Ok… so the guy working the store (Joe is it?) may not be the most outwardly friendly guy on the planet, but he’s always been nice to me.
More importanly, and more to the point: he does really great work and is far-​and-​away the cheapest guy out there if you want your bike fixed. A trued wheel, fixed front flat, and missing spoke in the rear were all quoted as HALF of what Rapid Transit quoted me. I’ll continue using this guy for a long time to come.

Bought a 1970’s Schwin Traveller Road Bike a couple of months ago when I moved to the city. Wanted to update some parts for lighter newer ones and Joe is the perfect man for the job.
I have probably been in once a week with different questions and/​or requests and Joe is always more than helpful. He even shows me how to do quick repairs myself if I am ever caught in a jam.
Reasonably priced. Expert advice. Joe is your man when it comes to bikes.

Joe totally rules. I’ve taken two older bikes to him, both of which were functional, and for less than $ 100 he’s given me back bikes MUCH better than I brought to him. They ride so much better that I actually look forward to my morning commute. Also, the merchandise in his shop is well-​priced and straightforward. Joe is an old-​world master of bikes, and I am his paduan. Seriously. He’s awesome.

Dilemma: Need to get my bike packed to ship from Chicago to LA.
Solution: Quick Release Bike Shop!
Aside from the typical bike maintenance services, Quick Release Bike Shop also assembles or in my case, deconstructs, bikes. Just drop off your bike with them, and they’ll have your bike ready in a box & taped up in 1 – 3 days (depending on their volume of work orders — it was 2 days for me). I had called quite a few bike shops and this was the only one I found that provided the box as part of their $ 25 service. Extra props to Joe for noticing and replacing the missing bolt in my seat post as he was packing up my bike.
½ star off because the box my bike came in had tears in them (but taped up of course) — if a box was part of the cost, I would have at least expected an in tact box. Another ½ star off because the only option is non-​existent street parking (and no loading zone) which was a hassle to double park to drop off the bike and pick up the boxed up bike. Otherwise, this shop is great.

I received reasonably priced, expert bike repair from a friendly and reasonable man.
I could not be more pleased.

Love Quick Release and having Joe’s expertise so close to home. He truly is a guru of bikes and it’s very reassuring to know that I can always receive trusted personal attention at an incredibly competitive price.
Joe’s proximity to the Wicker Park juggernaut that is Rapid Transit forces a comparison. Both are great but somehow I just feel more at home at Quick Release. Highly recommended.

I’ve gone to Quick Release for numerous bike issues: several flat tires, bad axle, equipment/​accessories. Joe is always helpful and friendly in his own way — he’s old school. I’ve found him to be a very trustworthy bike mechanic and he never tries to upsell you or give you service you don’t need. I’m always asking a lot of questions (ride frequently but am a bike maintenance novice) and he’s generally forthcoming with answers. This is a good shop to go to for bike repairs and to purchase bike accessories — not sure about buying a bike here. Seems like he has some refurbished bikes but I’m never sure if they are for sale.
Quick Release is a great alternative to hipster bike shops where the staff gives you attitude. Great local business!

Joe and Quick Release is a no frills, no-​nonsense bike shop. You won’t see a big selection of bikes to buy, or even a showroom, but Joe is like a village elder when it comes to bike repair. He has seen it all and probably can fix it.
I have a vintage Schwinn with a World War II –era drivetrain on it (it’s a skiptooth coaster hub). Most shops have never even seen something like that. When my chain broke, Joe told me that 1) the stopped making the chain in the 1970s and 2) he could probably still fix it. After digging around in his shop for a couple days, he was able to find old pieces of another chain to fix mine. It was around $ 20 to fix a chain, versus buying a $ 120 chain on eBay or not riding at all!
Joe is honest and extremely knowledgeable. And of it’s broken, he can probably fix it.

I’m a daily, year round commuter. I have been for years. I know how to do most of my own bike work, I just lack a few special tools. Meaning, when I’ve been to other shops (hi, Rapid Transit and Upgrade), and get the upsell, I know what I need, and what I don’t.
Joe and Quick Release are one of the best places for bike work in the city. I have never had a guy take more time to really tell me what’s wrong with my bike than Joe has. I have never had someone give me such a fair deal on labor as Joe has. If you’re into vintage bikes, he’s even better. For real, don’t take your 70’s or 80’s ride ANYWHERE else. It’ll be worked on by hipsters who have a hardon for bikes their older cousins rode. Joe actually knows the ins and outs of these bikes b/​c he used to sell them, and has fixed thousands of them
And, I know this isn’t what help is for, but Mr. John S «1 star review?»
You’re crazy.
You got upset because he had to walk to the back of the shop to run your credit card? Are you kidding? And, you expect free labor because you’re buying something? Yeah, the shop is dirty, it is. But you know what? I’d rather have a guy with a dirty shop that’s dirty because he spends more time fixing bikes than cleaning up his shop, and it’s evidence of the fact that this guy eats, sleeps, and craps bike repair. I can’t comment on the attitude, other than I experienced a little indifference at first, but I’ve gotten that at pretty much any bike shop, and all of that is overshadowed by his superior knowledge of bikes, and his ability to get it fixed right, the first time. Go to Rapid Transit or Upgrade if you want to have your bikes worked on by kids who should be in college, will screw up your brakes, forget to put your old but functional bottom bracket in the bag of parts they give back to you, and won’t admit when they fuck something up (see my review of Rapid Transit for a lovely example of their profound ability to mess things up, and complete inability to make them right).
You will NOT find color coordinated King bling headsets here, flashy Velocity Deep V rims, or a ton of fixies sitting around.
What you will find is a single room, filled with bike parts, and an older guy with cutoff overalls who will fix your bike right the first time, charge you a fair price, and all the while be listening to lovely classical music.
He is truly a gem in the city. If you don’t believe me, go to the Chicago Bikeshop Database, look at his positive review percentage, and find me another bike shop with the same positive percentage and number of reviews. You won’t find one, because he’s número uno.

I’ve been riding bikes all my life, but admittedly don’t know much about repairing them. I brought a newly acquired bike into Quick Release, and asked Joe if he would take a look at it, fixing anything he saw wrong.
Joe let me know that if I’ve been riding the bike comfortably than I should continue riding the bike. He said that he wouldn’t charge me for a tuneup that fixes predetermined things because my bike might not be in need of the work.
I give Quick Release four stars for honesty and integrity. I’d give five if it were easier to navigate the store. The place is a bit unkempt, but so is my bedroom. So what, who cares?