Champaign Cycle

I was new in town and looking for a good shop to help make a few modifications to my commuter bike. I was also hoping to get a few tips about the local rides and scene. I was very happy to find Drew behind the counter.
Drew is well connected with the local MTB scene and knows a bunch about the road community as well. He was more than happy to let me pick his brain about where to find riding groups and about which trails/​roads were the best in the area.
Further, the team helped address my concerns about my 20 year old commuter bike with zero evidence of snobbishness or pressure sales.
I’d definitely recommend this shop to anyone looking for solid service and an inventory of quality bicycles and components.

Abstract: Go to a hardware store, they’ll give you more information and get you out the door with the items you need.
Worst bike shop I’ve ever been too. They seemed nice but ended up being rather condescending. I went in knowing what I needed and the first time I was turned away and told to come back with my bike to make sure I got the right size bolt. Fine. No problem. I went home and came back with my bike. On entering the store the second time I received the same nice-​yet-​condescending attitude from another employee (possibly manager or owner?). He tried to help me with the front fender issue but ended up giving me a pair of bolts that were too short (as I said it would be) and nuts. For my rack issue, he told me that the shop could install it for $ 20. That’s absurd. I already had the rack on 90% of the way before taking it off to take my bike to the store and all I needed was a 16 mm bolt to replace the 20 mm bolt that was too long. I was told just to grind down the bolt I have even though I was willing to pay for the 16 mm bolt. Really glad they didn’t charge me for the garbage bolts they gave me. This might be the closest bike shop to my apartment but you can bet I’ll never go there again.

I had been searching for a bike shop in Urbana for quite some time when I stumbled across Champaign Cycle. I was inspired to go there because of Daniella B.‘s review, in which she noted it was nice to have a decent bike shop in Urbana that isn’t operated out of someone’s garage!
The nitty-​gritty:
The agreement when I left my bike was for $ 100, the mechanic would replace my chain, true both of my tires, and fix a broken spoke. If any additional work needed to be done, I would be contacted.
While I was contacted the next day that another spoke broke when the mechanic was working on my bike, I wasn’t given a new estimate. What I was told was that in order to fix this (newly) broken spoke, he needed a very specific tool that hasn’t been made in 20 years and if he couldn’t find this tool, he would be unable to complete the job. I interpreted his call as a head’s up, which I appreciated.
The next day, I received an email that the job was completed. When I went in the total went from $ 100 to $ 148. When I asked what happened, the mechanic became defensive and said that he did call me as we agreed upon. I pointed out that he didn’t give me a new estimate and because of that, I interpreted the purpose of his call to be a head’s up that he was looking for a specific tool and that he might not be able to complete the job after all. At this point, the mechanic became visibly upset. He apologized for the «miscommunication» and offered to bring the price down to $ 128, but was clearly angry. There were no other customers, just another employee who walked away and the tension in the shop was palpable. He then began to lecture me about «It’s kind of like when you go to get your car fixed and the mechanic touches one thing and everything falls apart,» which isn’t true since a car shop would then give you a new estimate. He then told me how the shop charges $ 60/​hr and he worked on my bike for 2.5 hours and he spent a lot of time on my bike. Despite the fact that the mechanic was in the wrong, I was so uncomfortable that I paid just so I could get out of there.
Later I called the manager, Jerry, over at Champaign Cycle in Champaign, and told him what happened. He told me he was going to speak with the mechanic and get back to me the next day. When he called me back, he asked me to repeat what I told him the previous day. Now, how is a manager going to tell a customer he’s going to call them back so that he can compare stories if he doesn’t even remember what you said? He then proceeded to tell me that he was sorry, that he is definitely going to work with the mechanic, kept repeating how the mechanic took $ 20 off, and asking me repeatedly what the initial estimate was. In the end since he didn’t even remember my story anyway, he clearly sided with the employee and wasted my time.
Between a mechanic who has anger management issues and a manager who doesn’t listen or take down notes and ultimately sides with the employee, I WON’T be back again. In an area where there’s an abundance of bikes shops, I suggest looking elsewhere if you want good customer service and professional employees.

My review might change as time goes on but for now, I like this place. I came with a broken bottom bracket and they fixed it better than its been for years on the spot for no charge when it was obvious that they had tons of work to do. I also like their selection of bike accessories. They have lots of women’s apparel which is frequently hard to find. Obviously, this location’s selection of bike stuff is not as good as the champaign location but I appreciate a decent bike shop coming to urbana that isn’t operated out of someone’s garage. Given the other options for bike repair in Urbana, Champaign Cycle in Urbana is probably your best option.
7÷7÷14
I still stand by my 5 star review. I know others have had bad experiences with upcharging but from what I’ve experienced, Champaign Cycle does great work at a reasonable price. They just straightened my dérailleur hanger for $ 5. Even when my boyfriend had a lot of work done with his gears and I ended up paying over $ 100, I felt confident that they were diligent and we wouldn’t have to bring the bike right back to get more work done. Go ahead and bring your bike to a cheap mechanic but if you’re someone who depends on your bike everyday, you’ll regret it!