Armitage Bike Shop

09/06/09

You win some you lose sum$$$

by William Burger at Citysearch

I read all these great reviews about Smart Bikes, so I thought I would go over to them to see if they could help me with mine. First of all its like walking in to my girlfriends closet, which by the way is bigger. Second, the guy on the phone said that someone would help me and I waited for about 15 minutes before I asked someone if there was another bike shop around. The girl in the shop was complaining about the tube that she got that was out of the box and was trying to get another one, due to the fact that the one she got was defected. She told me to go to either Blvd Bikes or Armitage Bikes. Since, I live off of Spaulding I decided to give Armitage Bikes a try. As soon as I walked in I was greeted. This shop is huge on the inside. I met a sales guy, Clark who was quite knowledgeable about bike parts. I needed quite a few parts to get my bike going and they have a “shitload” to choose from. Then another sales guy by the name of Moss came by and said that I would be spending a lot more on buying parts, and maybe I should consider getting a new bike. What he said made sense. Just in buying a couple of tires, tubes, brake pads, a front true, and a tune up, was running me about $130. I had previously talked about getting a Jamis Sputnick from Smart (Dumb) Bikes on the phone, but that fell threw, due to the lack of attention. Moss, told me that he had and SE Lugar in my size, from last year that he could make me a deal on, and he did. He not only gave me a great deal, he gave me $75 for my old bike, as a trade in. He also said that he could upgrade any part that was on the bike and give me credit for the stock part. He also said that any and all the labor/install for whatever I wanted to do to the bike would be taken care of on him. I looked at him like he was crazy. He said that was all about the “Armitage Experience” wow! These guys really took care. After setting up my bike up with my upgraded tires and handlebar tape, they let me take a test ride to make sure every thing felt good. And finally right before I left and mind you after I paid them, they even offered me free vitamin water and a bike map for the road. I can honestly say this is probably one of the best sales experiences that I have ever had. I would recommend this shop to every one, for bikes… and parts. Good for Armitage Bikes, bad for Smart Bikes.

• Pros: Great Customer Service, Fully stocked bike shop
• Cons: None

09/04/09

Just What I Needed!!!

by Jenny M at Citysearch

I got a flat getting off the Logan blue line at about 8:10 pm. I googled numerous neighborhood shops and most of them were all closed except for one, Armitage Bikes.

A guy by the name of Sam answered. He said he was closed but, doing some after hour repairs for some of his customers. I told him that I had a flat and that my tire was coming off. He said how fast can you get here and I said in about 20 min., he said he would wait till I got there. He was the nicest guy, and took care of me even though the shop was closed. I got a tire, a tube, and the service for about $25.00. He even gave me bottled water on the house. How cool!!! Thanks Sam for being there.

• Pros: Everything
• Cons: None

06/18/08

sweet bike shop

by senorpace at Citysearch

it's rare anymore in this society that you get the service you deserve. i knew something was different about this shop when i called the number and the gentleman on the line sounded sincere. i asked him a million questions about bikes and he fielded every single one without sounding impatient. he made me feel comfortable by telling me, "we'll take care of you . . . just stop in." a quick drive from bucktown and i was at the shop looking around at brands i had never heard of before . . . like fuji. i tried a couple out and made the decision to go with a se draft. i couldn't be happier. the staff was surprisingly helpful and knowledgeable--something you seldom find anymore. they tuned up my bike and i was even served a complimentary vitaminwater while i waited! i'll probably upgrade in a year or so, and when i do, i'll come back to armitage.

cheers

• Pros: down to earth, friendly and knowledgeable staff