Bucephalus Bikes

I have been to Bucephalus many times…the service is topnotch, friendly
folks, know their stuff, great selection of new and used and great repairs!
Can’t go wrong…bring your fave bike in for a tune-​up as the weather
finally gets good. ..

Awesome bike shop! Alex is super chill and knows his stuff about working with bikes. It’s a small family owned business. I had my back tire replaced for $ 20 while wheels and sprocket charged me $ 35 for only fixing a punctured tire (same old tire). Prices are reasonable and my bike is way better after replacing old brake pads. Will come back again if I need to fix my bike. Wouldn’t recommend purchasing any of their merchandise however; a majority of the items offered there can be found for a much cheaper price on Amazon. But they do have a bin where they stash a bunch of leftover stuff and you can buy them for $ 5

Honest, straightforward, and kind. I wish I could find a car mechanic with these same qualities. I’ve been in twice and both times Alex went above and beyond to make sure I was taken care of. I only needed simple fixes but he still walked me through what he was doing and showed me the source of the problem. If I ever have bike needs or questions I will definitely be coming back here. As an added bonus the shop is super cool and filled with cool things to look at.

Glad I brought my very-​in-​need-​of-​attention bike to Alex. He overhauled it for a very fair price, replace a couple of things, but was able to clean up and keep almost everything so I didn’t spend more than I needed to. I was originally expecting about a week considering the work needed and they called me in 1 day to say the bike was already finished. Unreal!
This is the way to run a business! I highly recommend Alex and Bucephalus. I will be bringing my bikes here from now on.

Best bike shop/​service/​employees ever. They made my craigslist purchase triathlon ready. Like it’s a brand new bike again.

I have found the «Wheel» thing! — great service and especially appreciated owner Alex’s expert advice and knowledge. The minute you walk in, you know you are entering a different kind of bike shop, a very neighborhoody place, that I wish was in my neighborhood!
Jancy Jerome

What to say, there is a reason why all the reviews are 5 star! If you have a newer bike, Alex and crew can handle it, if you have a vintage bike, Alex and crew can handle it, there is not likely a bike out there that they can’t restore! Not only was the turn around time super speedy (earlier than promised), but the bike was restored beautifully! My old bike had seem some modest riding days by me, was ‘adopted’ by the son of a friend, then her second son, and was to find a third owner, and I was worried about finding a shop that would specialize in the care of older bikes. Bucephalus was the store, read their mission statement on their website! And Alex thoughtfully (and unprompted) sent me several pictures of the completed bike because he knew I wouldn’t be there for the pickup, talk about spot-​on customer service! If there is this much caring just about customer needs, you can only imagine what meticulous love your bike is going to receive! Thanks again, Alex and crew, you made my day!

This is a great shop. I needed a front deraileur installed and some cables replaced on my roadie and their estimated cost was well under other area shops. They completed the repair in under 20 hours and were able to save some of my old parts instead of just replacing everything which would have been easy profit for them, so final cost was under estimate. The owner is super friendly as was my mechanic who explained everything they did. Solid solid repair shop a credit to cycling and a real prize in the area.

I really WANT to love this place. The owners are wonderful people — super nice and take the time to talk to you. They did the yearly tune ups for my husband’s and my bikes. Alex helped me load the bikes into the back of our SUV. I’ve been riding for over 15 years and know how to operate the quick release to get wheels off. For some reason, I was having difficulty with my front wheel. When I got it home, I found the brake to be WAY too tight to get the wheel back on. I brought my bike back, and the mechanic got the wheel back on. However, I asked to try to take the wheel off and put it back on, and it was still ridiculously tight — he had to use an allen wrench to loosen it, and I needed to tighten it back up when I got it home. This isn’t normal, and my bike was never like this before. I’m not sure what happened to it there. The mechanic suggested it was maybe my computer wire tugging at it, but that isn’t the case (and if it was, I would have appreciated the help figuring out the problem).
The other not so great thing is that I asked them the first time I picked the bikes up if they could order in a Trek 16 for my 4 year old who wants a pedal bike (he’s on the Trek balance bike now). Alex told me he would and would call me when it came in. When I went back a couple weeks later to get the wheel issue worked out, I asked if it was in yet, but he hadn’t yet ordered it. I asked again if he would order it and call me when it came in. Here we are about a month since then, 2 weeks from my kid’s birthday, and still no call about the bike. I called another area bike store and they carry all of the Trek kids bikes, so we will be heading there to spend a couple hundred dollars.
From all the positive reviews I am guessing this experience is by far the exception and not the rule. I would still recommend going to this shop, since the people are so doggone nice.

Went there and the owner alex was very helpful at first. I brought a bike that needed a couple things. We agreed an a price and when I went to pick it up I was told a higher amount. Very disappointed, felt I was taken advantage.

this is the best experience i’ve ever had with a bike store. they fixed the bike, and it rode much better than before.

I hardly ever post reviews but have been so impressed with this shop. Alex and his team are so thoughtful, professional and seem to genuinely care about their customers. We went in to get a bike seat for our 18-​month-​old and were presented with multiple options. A parent himself, Alex knew all about the complexity of the decision and made sure we were informed every step of the way. Now we can’t wait to hit the road with our little guy! This will be our bike shop for the long haul.

Alex and his crew are awesome. Great service, great advice, and they will totally work with people to make the situation work, whether it’s keeping a beater running for bare-​bones transportation or upgrading really high-​end custom stuff. (There may be gaps in the carbon fiber/​titanium end of things, and for that I’m grateful.)
The inventory on hand is a little sparse since it’s a very small operation, but they can get whatever you need given a little notice. Exactly the kind of personal, neighborhood operation the world needs more of, and I love their approach to biking as meaningful transportation choice, rather than just another expensive hobby.

Alex and the team are amazing! They’re very personable, friendly, and full of all the information I needed. Will be recommending to all of my friends in need of bike services. To top it all off, I was able to pay them in Bitcoin! Best Bikes Business On The Block «Chain»

Though I don’t usually write Unilocal reviews, every biker (even casual/​novice riders like me!) should to know how great this place is.
I just spruced up my bike here, and I can see why this shop gets five stars. After buying an old Raleigh with a flat, I brought it in for a quick fix, as well as to ask if they noticed any other red flags. Um, maybe the 40 year old tires that melted onto the rims?
Alex was really gracious, understood my budget and predicament, and went the extra mile to fix, tighten and even clean my wheels. Also, being the cheapo that I am, I cross-​referenced amazon’s price for the new tires I got. Same cost, including the service! What! Amazing.
I walked (or, rather biked) away feeling really great about my bike and their service. Wholeheartedly recommend.

Great bike shop! Sent my daughter from NU to get a tire repaired. Along with the tire they fixed all the other problems for less than most shops would charge for the tire.
Anne B.

One trip to this shop and you’ll be a loyal customer. Not only is it clearly a family run business (Alex’s son and wife were in the shop pitching in when I stopped by today), but Alex himself is incredibly knowledgeable and never over charges. I brought in my 1970s Schwinn that I have been fixing up for my girlfriend and Alex was excited to get this old and tired bike back on the road and riding like the day it was fresh off the line. I had taken this bike into Wheel and Sprocket and they literally refused to work on it, telling me it was worthless and tried to sell me a new bike. An absolute night-​and-​day experience from that of Bucephalus. I’ll be going back to Bucephalus 100% of the time from now on. You should too!

This is by far the best bike shop in evanston. Alex is exceptionally nice as well as knowledgable. The shop is welcoming and a present place to wait with great music! I wouldn’t go else where and am really looking forward to seeing the magic he can work on my cannondale. Thank you for such an enjoyable shopping experience.

Officially found a bike shop!
I had to go in and get a new tire plus a tune up for an old, used bike I recently purchased. Not knowing what to really expect, I never felt like I was getting ripped off like I do at other, bigger shops. Alex is great! He’s very easy going and super helpful! They also finished with my bike in less than 12 hours!

I was recently searching for a U lock for my wife’s new ride, and Bucephalus was my final stop. I had tried a couple of big-​box stores close to my office, but the options that I found at Target and Sports Authority seemed cheap and flimsy even though one was a common name-​brand. I admit that I had done no research, but I know a mediocre product when I see one. I was seeking something sturdy and intimidating and found it in the form of a Kryptonite brand lock at Bucephalus. The price was higher than those other locks but it seemed a fair deal for a quality product.
Alex took the time to answer some of my questions before I made up my mind, and then offered a few tips about registering the lock as I was checking out.
This place is tough to find even when you know what you are looking for. Behind the nondescript façade is a great little shop. Shame on me for shopping at chain stores; I will come here first for bicycle accessories from now on.