Uptown Bikes

This is my favorite Uptown business, bar none! The epitome of the progressive, struggling and affordable small business. Full disclosure: I’m a full-​time cyclist and so I rely on them to radiate the kind of genuine and down-​to-​earth warmth and honesty I need the most. Keep it real and keep your doors open, Uptown Bikes, you are much loved.

Great place, great service. Always have what I need and on the rare occasion when they don’t they order it asap. My go to bike shop.

Great people, service is bar none, I really have nothing but great things to say about this place. They’ve fixed a wheel and a broken spoke on my girlfriend’s cruiser at a fair price, and they have helped me rebuild a bike with the parts of my choosing. Nora was my mechanic and worked closely with me to ensure I was satisfied with the work being done, worth every single penny if you ask me. I’m also impressed that they had some really nice used bike parts for sale, pair of Zipp Service Course handlebars for $ 35? Don’t mind if I do.
I really can’t stress enough how friendly and knowledgeable everyone is; if I’m not careful I find myself just wanting to hang out and soak up all the knowledge that this place has to offer. Salt of the earth kind of people that you can trust.

I rode up at around noon to get my brakes adjusted, hoping to get my bike back within a few days. They were able to fix my bike in two hours. The repair gal who looked it over gave me an estimate and suggested new brake pads (as they were the originals on a 25 yr old bike). She suggested some slightly pricier ones that work better with steel bike rims. I said sure, and went on my way. They said I could leave my (godawful heavy) bike lock and chain there while I was out, which I thought was very considerate.
When I came back, she took my bike out on a test ride and then suggested that the cheaper pads might actually work better. (They gripped so well, the bike vibrated a bit on braking.) So she replaced the cheaper pads on the front, left the grippers on the back and suggested I go ride to test them. I decided I liked the combo and went to pay the bill. The end price was actually cheaper than expected, given the cheaper pads. So, for my 60 $ I got new pads, brake adjustment, adjustment of the rear wheel fender, a test ride to see if my dérailleur needed adjustment and two hour service, which I found to be a very fair price.
Other good things: The prices are posted on a whiteboard in the front in both English and Spanish. They periodically offer basic bike repair and how to change a tube classes. The staff is helpful, friendly and direct about one’s options and prices. I highly recommend them.

These guys are the best. They’re super helpful, incredibly nice and do great work. I brought my cheap-​o self converted single speed in to have them take a look and make sure I wasn’t going to kill myself on it and they fixed up a couple things for a whole $ 10. Then on a lark I asked if they had this set of handlebars I’d been looking for that they quit making 20 yrs ago, or if I could leave my number if they came across a set. Lo and behold, they had a set in the basement. Just goes to show, it never hurts to ask. I highly recommend these guys.

I’M RATING BASED ON WALKING IN AND ASKING A FEW QUESTIONS, AND CAN’T TESTIFY TO THE BIKES OR SERVICE.
BUT, I thought it was worth letting folks know that this place has very, very few bikes. I went in today, and was told that they have more bikes in in spring, and this is the last picks of the season. So, if you wanted to look at a large selection, this is not the place.
The sales person was very nice, showed me what they, and didn’t become rude when I let her low everything was far above my price range. (Bikes were $ 500−700-ish). I’m not a bog time bike person, so I headed down Broadway to Nearly New and found a used road bike for $ 200.

The absolute best bike shop. Everyone is incredibly informative, they won’t sell you anything you don’t need, they can fix any issue in no time, and they have great bikes that are competitively priced.
I’ve referred three people who have all bought bikes and accessories. I’ve bought a bike and accessories. All of us couldn’t be more pleased.

These guys (and gals) are great. Came in with a flat and was immediately greeted at the door. They addressed the cause of the flat and the flat itself in less than 20 minutes.

Found my new go-​to bike shop! Went in to get a flat fixed, under $ 17 bucks and was done in 25 minutes! I will be back.

So I’d been riding around on an 80’s model Peugeot cruiser, which is a sweet bike, but it’s heavy as all get out and slow… just not what I want anymore. I wanted something a little faster, definitely lighter. So it was time for a new bike.
Enter Uptown Bikes. I live close. They’re a local business. I figured I would rather drop a little extra and develop a relationship with Uptown Bikes rather than do a big box store purchase.
What I really like about Uptown Bikes is that everyone is SUPER friendly. They didn’t judge me (yes, I wanted a damn basket on my bike and yes, I need sturdy tires because I’m fat) and answered all of my questions very patiently and thoroughly.
Hannah was a champ. Very honest and very sweet.
I took a few bikes for a test ride and ended up liking a hybrid that’s much lighter and easier to handle than my old bike. I rode it home after about an hour that the shop needed to put on a kickstand, install the basket, etc.
Did I spend a bit? Yeah. Whatever. I love riding and I’m so thrilled with my new purchase.

I have been Uptown Bikes customer for a couple of years and I love taking my bike there for tune ups. The staff is very friendly and unpretentious, service is fast and quality. Prices are low. :-)

The staff at Uptown is the best
and I am not easily impressed,
from old tires and parts,
to «state of the art»,
they are the best, no contest!

Dear Uptown Bikes, I love you!
I have never been to a bike shop that was so friendly demystifying. They listened to what I needed and responded honestly, and they went the extra mile on my repair (not to mention it was done quickly). I learned a lot from talking to the workers and appreciated that they were willing to educate me rather than up sell me.
Hands down the most positive experience I’ve had in a bike shop on the north side!

These guys are the best — friendly, down-​to-​earth, and customer-​oriented. I’ve been to the shop twice — once for a tune-​up and replacement of some fender screws and once to purchase a helmet.
They did not have a huge selection of helmets, but did have a good mix of more urban and sporty styles, including children’s helmets. The associate helped me try on a number of styles, showed me how to make sure my helmet was on properly, and adjusted my new purchase. Great first experience with Uptown Bikes.
Today when I visited for a tune-​up, staff was just as friendly and quick. Not only were they fast, they quickly evaluated the needs of my bike and gave me a price estimate -$ 6 to replace the missing screws, tune-​up my brakes, fill my tires, and give my chain some oil. They noted that my tires are worn, but have a little bit of life in them. While other shops might have pressured me to consider purchasing new tires, this staff member simply advised me to consider them within the next 6 months to a year. Such a nice change of pace! I had also had trouble attaching my front/​rear bike light mounts as they didn’t fit the specs of my bike. The associate helped me properly adjust the mounts and used some old rubber tire to fill in the extra room in my rear mount, free of charge.
Great people with integrity, highly recommend!

This place has never let me down. Excellent customer service, quality work, and friendly atmosphere. My whole family had been bringing our bikes there for repairs, tune ups, and just to fill up on air for over a year. Recently had them replace the pedal arm. Dropped it off and picked it up in the same day, and they gave me a free water bottle. Will never go anywhere else as long as I live in Chicago, TOP NOTCH!!!

Excellent all around! Knowledgeable and friendly staff, they take the time to help customers fulfill their bike needs in the best way possible and at a reasonable cost. Also, Nora is an excellent mechanic.

Like this bike shop. I was using a place closer to home, but they are nicer at uptown. These folks have done a good amount of work for me and done it inexpensively and quickly. The only exception to that was when a part had to be ordered. When I had to bring the bike back one time with a problem, they fixed it without charging for labor even though it wasn’t their fault.
The bike accessories sold there seem to be expensive. I have not priced the bicycles.
My only issue with uptown are it’s hours. 11:00 opening is late for me and on one occasion caused me to take the bicycle somewhere else for repairs when I would have rather gone to uptown.

I went in today because my tires went flat. Was in and back out on my bike in less than 10 mins.
I’ll be using them again whenever I need a tune up.

My childhood bike shop! I came here alll the time to buy new inter-​tubes for my bike. (Darn alleys always got glass or nails stuck in my tires)
The people were always polite and helpful. They still are today! I recently came back, and it hasn’t changed much at all. Except for the guys gages have gotten wayy bigger since I’ve been there.
They know their stuff, and they get right to the problem and fix it.

I got my 8+ years old bike tuned up here for $ 35 a few weeks ago. I feel like I am riding a brand new bike now. They didn’t try to sell me anything else I didn’t need.
Constructive Comment: I could see room for improvement when comes to customer experience. They need to SMILE more and add a few shots of «Ray of Sunshine» when dealing with customers.