Ride Bike Shop

If I could give more stars I would! I did not catch the name of the gentleman who helped me today but THANK YOU. I had a crash on my way into work this morning (around 8:15) just in front of this shop. Thankfully there was someone there and he took care of my bike immediately when he saw the situation (mind you they were CLOSED). What a great way to show the amazing customer service you guys have and genuinely awesome people you have working in that shop. I ride by here every day, do know I will be stopping in for all of my biking needs and will be sharing this great story and already have been!

Stopped in today to have my chain checked out. They fixed it for free! Just saying come back in and buy a tube when you need them. It was a really minor fix so I really appreciated it. Everyone seemed really nice and there were a couple of cute dogs hanging out in the store too.

I had an awesome experience here. I am building my first bike and I came here for a few parts and had a ton of questions. Corrine (sp?) was really patient with me and got me all the parts I needed, with great care to make sure everything was the right size, and all for $ 20. Also, everyone else here was super nice and no one was pretentious or snobby about bikes. Great place!

Great bike shop for used & customized rides. Ron’s dedication to outfitting customers with the right bike based on sizing, needs, etc is unmatched. I bought a used Fuji a couple years back from him which I had to bring back a couple times for maintenance (it was probably a 20 yr old bike, not customized or updated, so I didn’t blink at the unforeseen quirks) and he never balked at making sure I was pleased with my purchase. I even brought in a flat tire one evening before he closed (and looked like he was dressed to head out) and he took the time to fix it right up.
It looks like the store has really taken off — I see a lot of custom bikes in the window now (and on Craigslist), so I can only expect that Ride is doing well and not just another Working Bikes offshoot. I bet it gets crowded, so it might be better to call ahead to discuss what you are looking for.

In the spirit of Working Bikes (on South Western Avenue), this is a small community bike shop that focuses on fixing up and selling used bikes. It is unlike Working bikes in that Ride typically orders a mixture of new parts to throw on the old bikes instead of cobling them together with all used — and worn out — parts.
In my experience, the shop, which by economic necessity runs out of a small space, can get overwhelmed by demand, especially now that everybody’s biking to avoid the gas pumps. They sometimes take a while to get a bike ready, but the end result is pretty good. The mechanical work is a bit sloppy (no caps on the end of brake cables, for example), but all in all a good economical way to get your hands on transportation.
One more slight down side: no fixed hours. I understand that the mechanics are doing this either as a hobby or for minimal pay, but still, it would pay (literally) to be on a fixed schedule that is either posted on the door or on a website.
But by all means, go, check it out, pick out a bike and let them do it up right for you. especially in warm weather, Chicago’s better by bike.