Wheel & Sprocket

They offer a wildcat discount which is nice. I had a punctured tire and they claimed to have replaced my back tire charging me $ 35. However when I had to replace my brake pads, I went to Burcephalus bikes due to the amount of positive reviews. Alex told me that my back tire had been replaced by a used tire and not a new one due to the amount of wear and tear and cracks in the «new» back tire. I feel like I got ripped off.

Wonderful, friendly sales staff and and amazing service crew. I won’t take my bike anywhere else! I attend the evening indoor cycling classes in the fall and winter and it keeps me in great shape in the off season. Super fun coaches, classmates, and music! The staff doesn’t talk down to you if you don’t know everything and the energy is very humble and relaxing. Loving W&S!

Twenty years ago, this place would have been a godsend. However, most of their amazing selection can be found for cheaper on the internet. Their repair service is terrible. I went in to get a spoke replaced and the work was laughable. They are either incompetent or crooks. My dérailleur was of center and some of the other spokes were loosened. Either it happened on accident or it was intentional since the guy kept trying to upsell me on various other services. Avoid this place and go somewhere trustworthy for repair work.

Amazing service with Gretchen. She was super informative, helpful, and took excellent care of me. I am not a bicycle expert in any sense of the word, but know that I can come here and get what I need. Thank you Gretchen, I’ll be back!

I was from out of town and needed a new bike lock. Nate greeted me as soon as I walked in the door and quickly and efficiently assisted me. I was on my way in no time.

i’ve had two back-​to-​back wonderful experiences with this place. i’m not a ‘cyclist’ by any stretch of the imagination and have no business owning the nice bikes that i have which explains why my beautiful bianchi racing bike was hacked apart at the beginning of the summer. i took the remaining pieces of the bike cadaver to wheel and sprocket and was not only met with heartfelt sympathy (nobody made me feel like even more shit for having left the thing in a vulnerable place for so long) but they spent a considerable amount of time helping me find the most affordable replacement parts. the bike looks absolutely gorgeous. having learned my lesson, i got a different bike off craigslist to use as an every day rider and within a day they made it look and feel brand new– going above and beyond to keep it as theft-​proof as possible by installing ball-​bearings in the headset. it cost me a pretty penny but definitely worth it for the service and results.

I came in for a basket for my bike, but they didn’t have the kind I was looking for. The staff was friendly and offered to order it for me, but I figured I could go elsewhere to get what I wanted. (I was right).
They had some nice accessories, but the prices seemed a bit high.

Brought my bike in for a simple flat repair for one tire. Sales staff was friendly and helpful. Mechanics were busy, but fixed my flat in 10 minutes. I have docked 2 stars for the over-​charged pricing.
$ 8 for a replacement tube
$ 18 labor for tube installation — for a 10 minute fix?!?
I had to go to this place in a pinch situation, but I can’t imagine going back after feeling taken advantage of. This is the highest repair price I’ve seen anywhere in the greater Chicago area. After all, you don’t have to look very far alternatives.

I just bought a bike here and was really happy with the customer service that I received from the owner. He was friendly and honest and made buying a bike from a local shop owner a pleasant experience. I would definitely recommend checking out Wheel and Sprocket for your biking needs in Evanston.

I am just getting into biking, and just have an old little 8 speed Schwinn. I am gearing up for a 90 mile ride and had taken it to another bike shop to put the deraillers on as it was converted into a single speed when I bought it and wanted the speeds back. The last place had put in the deraillers kits and within two days the front derailler already wasn’t working. I brought it over to wheel and sprockets, a location closer to work, and I was so pleased with the service. From being greeted, not pressured right from the door to working with Gretchen an awesome mechanic who took the time to really explain everything: what went wrong, how they’ll fix it and how long the repair will take. I was very impressed. Although the repair was simple within an hour they contacted me both by phone and email to let me know it was ready to pick up. The whole process was so simple and I was very happy with the entire experience. I will definitely be back for any upcoming fixes and absolutely recommend: they clearly know what they’re doing. They also have a great bike and gear selection right in store to check out.

I brought my bike here today to replace the rear tire tube. While I was there, I figured I would get a quick tune up and have the gears adjusted.
When I got the bike back, the tire was fixed, but the gears were not working. They gave me the bike back without even telling me it was broken! I can’t say that they broke it (it’s an old bike from a garage sale). But to return a broken bike without saying anything is horrible customer service. I would have argued further with them, but I was there with my daughter.

I brought my commuter/​hybrid bike to Wheel and Sprocket for «The Annual» tune-​up package ($ 85). Note that this package does not include cleaning the drive-​train, only lubrication, so I wiped down the chain, crankset, and cassette as well as I could before dropping off my bike. I brought my bike in without an appointment, and as a result I had to wait a week to get my bike back because that was the next available service appointment. If you can’t part ways with your bike for long, I recommend calling to make an appointment or booking an appointment online.
Since the tune-​up, my bike has been riding very smoothly. In addition to good work, the staff provided excellent service: they were friendly, competent, and quick. I highly recommend W&S for your bike needs.

Do yourself a favor and get your bike repaired elsewhere.
I’m an avid and experienced cyclist. I used to race competitively but gave it up for grad school, switching from long distance riding to zipping around the city. Suffice it to say that, while I no longer pour the majority of my energy into cycling, my appreciation for quality bikes and quality bike maintenance hasn’t diminished a bit.
One more qualification: beware any review that uses getting a flat fixed or having a sales person up-​sell a complete bike as primary ways of evaluating the quality of a shop. Knowing something about a shop’s markups, what their labor costs are relative to the competition, and the quality of the work they do are safer bets. (I’d also rather have an antisocial bike snob who knows what they’re doing fix my bicycle than a hack with amazing customer service skills.)
I brought in a bike that I hadn’t rode all winter. I had put it away in the fall immediately after snapping two spokes for fear of permanently damaging the wheel. The mechanic assured me that they could fix it for $ 29 in labor and $ 1 for replacement spokes. A bit on the pricy side but not too bad for a flashy shop in Evanston. A couple days later, I got a call from the mechanic saying that there was damage to two additional spokes, he then recommended replacing the wheel for $ 80. Suspicious of the extent of the damage, I asked whether the replacement wheel was of comparable quality, the mechanic assured me that the only significant difference was that the new one was black and that the replacement would probably end up being slightly cheaper than paying the labor cost of repairing the damaged wheel. Fine.
When I picked up the bike, it turned out that not only was the new wheel of significantly lower quality (one step above generic parts vs a hand-​built wheel with a plain but well respected hub, upgraded spokes and a fancy rim to support my not inconsiderable frame) but the damaged wheel was in fact only incrementally more damaged than we had assessed together, and, what’s more, the replacement wheel had a flip-​flop hub instead of a fixed gear hub. While more versatile, flip-​flop hubs compromise the wheel’s strength for the convenience of being able to ride either fixed or with a freewheel. This is potentially trivial for the average weekend warrior but the significant downgrade in addition to the change in type of wheel at the very least warranted some advance warning.
Next, I had asked the mechanic to throw on some more handlebar tape. I could have just easily done it myself but I figured since I was in the shop and was already paying for a tune up, I might as well. $ 17 for the tape. Definitely on the very expensive side. Reviewing my receipt, it turns out that I was charged an additional $ 18 in labor for putting the tape on. At most community minded shops, they would have put the tape on for free, especially since I was already paying for so many other things. Someone who knows what they’re doing can put bar tape on in a minute or two. $ 18 in addition to the already very expensive bar tape. On top of that, the mechanic messed up the tape job. There are two main ways of putting on tape; one way makes sense and one doesn’t. Either the seam of the tape rubs against your hands as they grip the bars or it runs the other way so that you don’t feel the crease as much. If the bar tape is put on the wrong way, it doesn’t last anywhere near as long because, by constantly gripping the bars, your hands unravel the coils over time. So it cost $ 18 for a mechanic to spend two minutes doing a job that I need to immediately fix.
Lastly, as I was leaving, wanting to get my bicycle away from the premises as quickly as possible, the mechanic offered, unsolicited, that the bike was otherwise in great shape (admittedly, I probably take bike maintenance more seriously than I should). As soon as I got to the street and started moving, it was clear that one of the pedals had a loose bearing. Either I’d forgotten about it since the fall or it worked it’s way loose over the winter. It would have been immediately evident to anyone who rode the bike. Any bike shop that’s worth going to will give a bike a quick test ride when the work is done just to be sure that there aren’t any other issues. A loose bearing in a pedal is not the end of the world by any stretch of the imagination. A reasonable shop would include that fix as part of a tune up or, the repair should run around $ 10-​$ 15 at the most. Either these guys can’t spare the ninety seconds it takes to do a once over (or maybe I forgot to agree to an $ 18 test ride charge) or they just don’t care.

If there was a sixth star I would click for this place. They are so friendly and everything is done on time. Store manager Eric is upper friendly! There is no intimidation factor like a lot of bike store that I have been to in the area. I even traveled all over to Deerfield, Chicago and thank god I found wheel and sprockets as my last place. I have a triathlon bike that I have many up grades done. I had Zipp tubular wheels glued there and was excellent work. I like that they give you many options when up grading parts and don’t try to over sell. I am glad to see more positive comments on this place as they do deserve it. Believe me just go to a few shops around and you will keep coming back to wheels and sprockets.

Being completely bike-​illiterate when I moved to Evanston, I luckily had these guys and gals to teach me the ways of the bicyclist. This is a long overdue review for these folks, since I need to thank them for the countless times they’ve saved my bikes (and me) from falling apart:
1. They replaced a nut and bolt for me on my bike fender. Twice. For free.
2. They straightened my bike seat. For free.
3. They stayed open 10 mins overtime on a Thursday night to fix my perforated bike tube of the rear bike wheel.
4. They offered free advice on what type of bike lubrication to use and where to go for open shops for bike tune-​ups.
5. Once, before I paid for a new bike from another vendor, they offered a free «second review» just to make sure the price I paid would be worth the quality of the bike.
Note that they also offer free bike tire pumping and 10% discount for parts and accessories for Wildcard holders. You can donate your used bike here, and they’ll donate to other second-​hand bike stores like the Recyclery.
Overall, if you’re looking for quality service from reliable bike mechanics who care about your bike safety, then Wheel and Sprocket is the place to go.

Bought a Trek road bike here after shopping around at a number of other nearby bike shops and had a great experience at W&S. I had a great experience talking with a salesperson who wasn’t the slightest bit pushy and took the time to answer my questions. I told him my desired price range, what I was looking for, and he showed me a few options. While he did point out a few higher-​end and more expensive options, it was just as a quick FYI and not as a means to try to upsell me. They clearly were interested in me getting the bike that was right for me and took a lot of time to look at proper fit and sizing. When I picked up the bike a few days later the staff was again incredibly helpful, friendly, and really wanted to be sure that things with the bike were sized right for me.
I had been here a few times before for service on a hybrid bike and found the repair shop to do a great job at competitive prices.
Have had nothing but great experiences with W&S so far.

Fantastic bike shop, knowledgeable, great mechanics and sales staff, I’ve purchased several bikes here. Highly recommend to new cyclist and the road warriors with thousands of pedaled miles

Wheel and Sprocket has always treated me well, which I appreciate, considering I’m a casual biker and not one of those guys wearing spandex into Trader Joe’s or flipping off cars that may or may not have seen them turning left! In fact, I took my 10 year-​old Specialized in there for a tune-​up and new front breaks, and they steered me away from the more expensive tune-​up, for a cheaper fix and new front calipers. They texted me when it was ready, and because I was busy, didn’t bother me when it took me a few days to get it.
I love my bike, but after reading the other reviewer talk about their price-​match guarantee, I’ll definitely be looking here first, when I’m ready to purchase.
Cool, laid-​back staff, not too pushy, but helpful when needed. There are closer places to me, but I’ll keep coming here, as long as they treat me like anyone else.

I was hesitant to buy a bike from a «big chain store», especially when all the smaller bike shops in the area had such stellar reviews. While the independent bike shops certainly have amazing customer service, my experience at Wheel and Sprocket was just as enjoyable, but with the added benefit of having great deals and a huge selection.
When they told me about their «110% price match guarantee», I was skeptical, but when I showed them Village Cycle’s lower price, they matched it without question (saving me $ 170 off the retail price)! They weren’t even picky about the process: I simply showed them a link to the better deal on my phone, and they said, «ok, we can match it!»
Another reason I chose Wheel and Sprocket is because they offer no-​interest financing, which is extremely helpful, as throwing down hundreds of dollars at one time isn’t easy for a grad student. Not to mention it makes my budgeting much easier for the next 6 months!
Lastly, the customer service was great. My salesman, Sean, was certainly trying to move bikes, but he also seemed to genuinely care, and was great in helping me pick the right bike. The owner came out during our interaction, and also gave some great advice.
The only criticism I have is the owner seems a little strict on his employees. A female employee rode out on the bike I was going to test drive, and he yelled at her for not wearing a helmet. I’m not entirely sure if this was meant to be a joke of not, but I would hate to work there if he really was that high strung. That being said, he was very nice to me!
One last note: how is this place rated as the most expensive bike shop in Evanston? Price Matching + Financing = way more affordable than the other shops. I walked out with a $ 600 2014 Trek FX 7.2 Disc for $ 470!

I reviewed this establishment a while ago giving it a horrible review due to their terrible customer service. I’m here to update that review.
I went into Wheel and Sprocket to have my friend fitted for a road bike. They provided great customer service; the young employee who helped us spent probably an hour with usp sizing her and figuring out what kind of road bike would work best for her. Being small, they had go order a smaller frame size for her that she will be able try out and possible buy when the bike arrives to the store.
All in all, they’re service has dramatically changed for the better. I was very happy with my visit to Wheel and Sprocket, they are very knowledgeable and kind. I will be returning for future bike needs.