Rapid Transit Cycle Shop

Have tried them a couple of times; very poor service. I will not go back - this last time I went in for a tune and checkup b/c my bike shop was too busy - explained I was doing a last minute several hundred mile solo trip, asked to have the chain replaced, brakes checked, tune - and requested new tires and tubes - they looked worn to me. RT did a quick (but not cheap!) tune, told me tires were ok, ""don't replace them, they are good for a long while yet, they aren;'t like car tires where you have to worry when the treads wear out "". . . . .and told me my brakes and chain were ok . . . . .so here I am, 4 miles pedaled since leaving the shop, stuck in Carbondale Illinois waiting for a bike store to open tomorrow. My tire blew after I got off the train - found one bike shop , they did not have my size, but the owner chided me, told me I should have replaced the tires ""look they are rotted"" - and ""you really need a tune, look your chain is stretched, your brake pads are worn down and out of line "". . .. He did not believe I had a tune until I pulled out the receipt. \r \r I should have known something was wrong when they charged me about $30 for one of those little reflective strips that goes around your ankle - at least I noticed that before I left the shop - they did refund that. \r \r I would give them zero stars if I could. Cons: Poor Service, bad prices more

Rapid has a wide selection of practical gear for biking in the city. Bad weather gear. Waterproof Gear. Good tires for crappy weather. Good tires for crappy roads. They also have a wide breath of knowledge regarding city biking. Good advice for bike fit. Good ideas for appropriate accessories, (ie; the right stuff for who you are and how you ride.) And it's a friendly community. The mechs and sales folk remember your name, remember your bike, remember what you do for a living. Like any community, it can seem exclusive from the outside. Visit rapid on a weekday, or in the winter, have a conversation about why you love your bicycle, and why you love riding it in chicago. Welcome home. Pros: Selection, Knowledgable Staff more

These guys make one want to go out and buy a huge Hummer or Jeep to guzzle gas and take up space! Aboout the only cool thing there was that it was in Wicker Park. I'm not a super geek about riding but I make the effort when I can. I'm a professional with 9 to 7pm hours, and so I go riding on weekends. This recent weekend I went in after I noticed the tire was low and tried to put air in it. No luck, it was a flat. Thought I could go to this joint and have them help me fix it. When I walked in, I got one glance and nothing after that. I asked someone for help, they looked at my bike and WALKED AWAY!!! It's an okay bike...I don't race on it (i'm not a racer or bike messenger for that matter). Nonetheless I guess it wasn't worth the time. After about 20 minutes waiting for someone's attention, the sales person said they could not help me??! Isn't that what a bike shop is for? They didn't even look at it. \r \r I went to Village Cycle instead. They were professional, fast and friendly. Too bad with Rapid Nazis.....they could of foudn another loyal customer just trying to be a little green, instead they lost out for being soo elitist! \r \r Not worth the time or effort! You'll regret it!! Pros: The neighborhhood Cons: Costly, not friendly, too elitist, cramped more

I don't know what the deal was with this place.....I'm not a cyclist by profession or maybe it was because I didn't have an awesome bike, but WTF??!! I went in there to get my bike worked on because it was new and I didn't know if it was put together well. When I walked in, I was made to feel like a lepar! They sales guy refused to work on my bike, stating ""No. It's not worth my time to work on junk!"" I walked out feeling horrible. I had cash to get it worked on. I just wanted to ride again, but it's obvious I just wasn't worth the time. Bike Nazis!! Pros: Clean Cons: Rude, Not friendly, over-priced more

Dropped in for a chain tool. I was greeted by one of the workers, which hardly happens in Wicker, and said hi back. Not finding what I needed a minute later, I asked where the chain tools were. This changed everything. ""Uh, *right there*,"" with a vauge gesture at the wall. Twenty seconds later he came over and showed me where they were specifically. While still looking around, he (now behind the counter) gave an impatient sigh and said, ""Look, do you just need to be rung up?"" Having been given this clear sign of not being welcome, I bought the tool and left as quickly. I then noted the tool's packaging had been stapled shut, but I didn't want to bother the guy with an exchange. If this is what happens when buying a tool to fix something yourself, I'd hate to see what goes on with critical repairs. Pros: clean, lots of staff on hand Cons: bad attitude, not much tool choice, sold open prod.@full$ more

So often I've found that when I went into a bike shop with serious bike people, I was treated like an alien life form that deserved to be shunned. But I went into Rapid Transit for the first time recently, and found them to be extremely helpful and knowledgeable. These are guys with a mission to convert polluting drivers to healthful bikers, and their friendly attitude and useful advice was quite welcome to this casual rider. That gives them my business! I will certainly choose them first the next time I need gear or repairs. Pros: Good location, Free air, Smart staff Cons: No parking., So ride your bike! more

Went there to have a rim straightened on my bike. Was told it would be $15. Got a call 2 hrs later saying it couldn't be fixed but I could buy a steel rim for $35 or an alloy rim for $50. Told them give me the steel for $35. Got a call 45 minutes later saying they don't have any steel rims. I told them to order one. They said they couldn't. My final cost for an alloy rim $60. For some reason the bike tech sawed my axel shorter now it won't fit my bike. I called another bike shop they have my steel rims for $35. That' where I'm going. I'll get my axel there. I will NEVER shop at Rapid Transit again. more

Right off the bat, there was someone there to help me. I wasn't talked down to and I got to ride four bikes! Everyone was very nice and knew a lot about bikes, which I don't. How can you tell if you like a bike without riding it? Unless you can fix everything and know everything about bikes, service is what you should look for in a bike shop, not just the lowest price, and they have it here in spades. more