Kozy’s Cyclery

RIP OFFS!!!
They charged me $ 22 to fix a flat, got another flat 2 weeks & took it to another shop in Buena Park/​Uptown & paid $ 10 for the SAME specialized bike tube!!!
While they were fixing my flat I saw a new bike I liked, so i researched it & found it $ 150 cheaper at another place. This place is way overpriced from their service to their sales. They offered to do a tune for $ 75, I got it done somewhere else for $ 55.
Shop around in the area there’s way more reasonable place’s out there don’t get ripped off by them. They remind me of car dealership working on commission!

Penelope is tuned up and ready to ride!
I took my Specialized Allez (aka Penelope) into their shop for a tune and wheel repair after riding on the indoor trainer all winter. She needed some TLC.
I called to make an appointment because with city living everyone is trying to get a tune up to be ready for the spring. They told me to just come on in and they were scheduling out 4 days. Not bad. I didn’t expect to have my bike for at least a week.
I rode over on a Sunday right when they opened. The bike genie took a look and said I didn’t need their deluxe tune up (over $ 200) because my bike was in good shape. He said the basic would be fine. He pointed out a tiny slash in my back tire (I expected that after being on the trainer all winter) and he gave me some good better best options. I’m training for an Ironman and took the option that would get me the Illinois training roads and race day. Reasonably priced at $ 54 and inexpensive installation.
I expected my bike to be ready on Thursday but got a call Wednesday that she was ready. I picked her up and did a quick ride down the lakefront. It was a smooth ride and no more squeaking from my dérailleur! They even clean your bike too.
Can’t wait to start my outdoor century rides. Thanks Kozy!

I bought my very first brand new bike from the Kozy Megastore location about a month ago, after having ridden a vintage single speed for a few years.
I am reviewing this location, because I noticed the front wheel was catching a little (not spinning completely freely), and this location is closer to me than the Megastore location, so I biked the 2 miles over to get the wheel adjusted.
They ended up giving me sort of a mini tuneup for free, as adjustments for the first year are included with bike purchase. Additionally (as another review mentioned), I experienced the non-​upselling when I asked about 2 handpumps; I was steered away from either with some advice about alternative options to carrying a handpump.
Overall, I am very pleased with the adjustments, the workers there, and the store in general. And, I’d like to point out that as a female biker, there’s often some element of talking-​down that I’ve experienced at other bike shops, but I didn’t detect any attitude like that here — very friendly!

Just had a fine + efficient saddle shopping experience here. Thanks Rich, for the service, advice and install. I got in a 35-​miler on my new Specialized Body Geometry Power Expert — awesome! My hip pain is no longer. Great saddle!

I used to go to Kozy’s regularly until I discovered On the Route Bicycles on North Lincoln Ave. I had some very mixed customer service experiences over the course of six months. About half of the staff there came off as stand offish and aloof. It often took an average 30 – 45 minutes just to get service when there were only maybe three or four other patrons in the store.
On one occasion they not only lost accessories that were paid for in advance, but also double charged me for other merchandise and repair service which came to a tidy sum of about $ 500. When I called the manager and e-​mailed them a copy of the receipt and my bank statement (showing the double charges) they insisted on doing an inventory of the store before refunding my money which took several days.
The final straw for me was when I kept having trouble with a fender that I had purchased there and that they had installed. After taking it in three different times and paying over $ 100 total to have them send it back «fixed» I took it to the nearest bike shop that I could find near me (which was On the Route). They were able to fix it on the spot and let me know that the reason that I had so many problems with it was because it had been installed completely incorrectly. Also, they only charged me $ 5 for the labor which took only 10 minutes and I have not had a single problem with it since.
So, based on multiple poor experiences I have had at Kozy (as opposed to just a single incident) I have come to the conclusion that you will get great service as long as you are purchasing a big ticket item from which they will earn a commission. However, repeat business in the form of repairs or accessories are not worth their time or trouble.

I bought my bike from here less than a month ago. The original salesman I dealt with was extremely knowledgeable and helpful, although he kept steering me towards the more expensive models (that’s going to happen, so no problems there). After leaving and doing more research, I came back and talked with another associate who told me that the bike less expensive and more expensive bike are basically the same, and there is no reason to buy the more expensive one (points for candor).
I had to buy a seat for my new bike because the one that came with the bike was horrible (apparently this is such a problem, they have a $ 10 off tradeoff system in place). The seat itself is fine, but its REALLY upcharged from other places (unfortunately, i looked around only after buying it).
My main issue, however, is that less than a month in, my bike’s back tire was completely flat. I took it to the bike shop across the street to get it fixed for $ 20. The bike shop told me that faulty installation on the bike caused the flat. Not too big of a deal, but annoying. I called Kozy’s and they essentially told me tough luck and, because I didn’t make the trek up to them (3 miles away from me), they wouldn’t refund the money it took to fix faulty tire they sold me.
Overall, its pretty poor customer service. That being said, the bikes are cheaper here than other places, so if you know EXACTLY what you are looking for, then this place is fine. But if you are expecting anything other than a Wal-​Mart type atmosphere from your bike shop, I would go elsewhere.

I love this place. I’ve gotten my bike seat stolen twice and I always come here because they cut me a good deal. They also encourage products as opposed to up-​selling or pressuring you into buying anything. Always great service.

Unimaginably rude staff. Multiple managers treated me very poorly. The mechanics are just as rude. As a business owner in Lakeview, it’s very upsetting for another small business to accept hiring staff that is so rude to paying clients. Do better Kozy’s.

What a great shop. I’ve gone there in the past for tune ups, but recently was surprised by some free service and parts I’d received. One time I went in having trouble taking apart my bike and they lent me a helping hand breaking it down and giving me some advice when I was looking to put it back together. When putting it back together a few months later I had lost a hard to find part. Going in, looking to purchase some replacement parts, they had found one in their misc. spare parts box. They gave it to me for free. What a great shop!

I’ve been here several times throughout the last couple of years living in the neighborhood and I have never been in this store without at least one employee being incredibly rude. Most of the employees I’ve encountered are arrogant and condescending. I’ve been laughed at for asking questions about my bike and I don’t appreciate the terrible attitudes.
I’m sick of being treated like trash. I bought a U-​Lock from here and when I got it home it immediately jammed and when I tried to take it back to exchange it the employee picked a fight with me and condescendingly told me I should have known and not bought it in the first place.
I will never shop here again.

After going here for years out of convenience (I live 2 blocks away), I finally had enough. The obnoxious up-​selling… the arrogant attitude… the dissatisfaction I have had with just about every product they talked me into spending more money to upgrade to… bike seat, light, helmet, you name it. They recently sold me a new seat post and installed a seat which cracked off TWICE. When I took it back in the first time, they replaced the bolt, but not before lecturing me about how it was my fault for not bringing it back in as soon as it started feeling loose. Then it cracked off again, after they fixed it, mid-​ride on a busy street (scary!) This time, nothing felt loose… the seat just cracked off when I sat down on it. I finally went the extra 10 blocks to Johnny Sprockets. They fixed it and showed me what to do if I needed to without acting like I was putting them out. They also helped me find the kind of bike seat I wanted in the first place.
Kozy gets 2 stars, not one, because I have occasionally run into a sales person who is really nice. But the culture there doesn’t seem to encourage that, since I’m pretty sure they work on commission. If you’re into professional cycling or racing, I think Kozy would cater more to you. But if you’re a regular joe commuter like me, be prepared for staff that talks down to you and numerous attempts to sell you a more expensive product that you don’t, in fact, need.

Arron is the man. When I need a bike he is my man. He has a great knowledge about bikes and a lot of experience in the field. He will provide you with the right bike you need and work with your budget, so that you get the best for the money. If you are looking for the best bike and the best service, go to Kozy’s cyclery and look for Arron. Also, the guys doing the repairs on the bikes are extremely professional and friendly.

Just want to put a big THANK YOU out there to David at Kozy on N Halsted. He did a free quick check up on my bike and took the time to give a girl who hasn’t ridden her bike in over a year some helpful advice. I will definitely head back for tune ups and repairs. I highly recommend this Kozy to all my Lakeview neighbors and fellow bike riders.

This place has very nice employees. I go there every now and then, to get little accessories, to pump my bikes, to fix little things… The guys in the back are always kind and if it’s just a little thing, they don’t charge. This is how you bring in more customers. I hope the owner reads also this message and tell the guys to keep doing what they do.

Took my bike in here because my front brake cable snapped. I also needed a tuneup, so I thought I’d try to kill two birds with one stone. I had called ahead and gotten the price for the tuneup ($ 75) and the cost for the cable replacement ($ 25) but I thought, hey maybe they’ll include that in the cost of the tuneup. Their response: «No, it would be on top of the cost of the tuneup». I mean, you already have one of the priciest tuneup costs in town, and you already told me the cost of the brake cable was only $ 5, and you’ll already be working on the bike for the tuneup, so you just want to double-​dip on labor? No thanks. Do yourself a favor: Get some cash and go up to Nearly New Bikes. You can also avoid the cooler-​than-​you bike techs they employ at Kozy’s.

I brought my bike here a few weeks ago for it’s annual tune up. I got two free tune ups with the purchase of my bike! I felt like the brakes were a little too loose on my ride home so I brought it back and the adjusted the brakes for free.
Then they let me keep it there while I headed to McCormick place on the CTA. I thought that was super nice!
The dude who helped me gave me a nice lesson on the inner workings of the bike thefts’ mind. Gheesh! So, with no pressure to buy, he showed me some state of the art locks.

My Cannondale 29 Mountain Bike is ²¹⁄₂ years old with between 13 – 15,000 miles on it. Dave Y keeps it running smooth and functional. Just had to replace disc brakes after I blew a seal from so much riding. Dave Y. got me up and running so quickly, simply the best bike mechanic in the Midwest. Thanks again for the great service. I always buy my bikes from this store –great selection and price.

Update after visiting the repair shop in the back.
I was treated so rudely here the other day. After barely having my bike for 2 months, I was told that it is making clicking noises in the front wheel because I shouldn’t have put fenders on the bike. Fenders that were sold to me by the person who sold the bike. Fenders that were recommended because my Jamis is built as a commuter/​cross-​country bike.
I was barely looked in the eye by the guy just sitting behind the computer talking crap about the other employees there. As a woman, I find this infuriating.
Won’t return for service. There has to be more understanding people to work on my bike elsewhere.

Don’t go here! They tried to upsell me needless parts saying my bike was old and worn and although it is a year old I didn’t need two hundred dollars worth of new parts including a crank, chain and a rear derailler.
I am certainly not a bike expert but I know a decent amount and enough to not be treated like I am a child. Some of the guys in the back are nice guys but the older guys make you feel inadequate. I definitely won’t go back here and the pricing is very expensive. To fix a flat I got charged $ 28, in Johnnie sprockets I got charged $ 16 and wasn’t pushed into updating my parts.

Great selection of bikes and gear!
I bought a gorgeous new cruiser from Eliza. She was so pleasant and patient. I test rode four different bikes and was never once pushy. Sort of pricey because they have pretty high end bikes but I had a Groupon that helped a bit!
I need to get a final adjustment on my bike but otherwise I loved my experience here!

I purchased my fourth and final bike or anything else ever again at Kozy’s on March 29, 2013. Previously I had bought a Giant Cypress DX hybrid, Specialized Women’s Hybrid, Cannondale Caad 10 road bike and lastly a Fuji Classic Single Speed. Kozy’s is always more than happy to sell you a bike that’s not the problem, they will let you test ride, explain all the differences and you’ll walk out the door with a quality bike for a relatively fair price.
It is the post buying experience where their service takes a turn for the worse. All the previous three bikes had your regular wear and tear or problems that arose and Kozy’s always handled them with average service and a bill to boot. Fair enough, they are a business they are in it to make money, I understand. However, my most recent purchase left me scratching my head as to whether I had been taken for a ride all along. After about 150 miles the Fuji bike popped three spokes. I found it odd that a brand new bike with hardly any miles and less than two months old would have this problem. Kozy’s told me this was perfectly normal and proceeded to charge me for the repair. I asked again and again why a brand new bike would do this, it just doesn’t seem right, maybe the wheel is defective. Fell on deaf ears with the Kozy staff. I paid my bill and left.
Another month goes by and two more spokes pop off. Having already left a bad taste in my mouth the last time, I went to another bike shop to get their opinion. They told me that there was no point in replacing the spokes as the wheel was done. I explained that I just bought the bike and it had only a few hundred miles on it. They told that was definitely not normal and should be covered under warranty. I told them my Kozy story and they proceeded to get me in touch with Fuji, honor my warranty and put a new wheel on my bike all within a week and all free of charge. Also, while I waited for the new wheel to come in they did replace the broken spokes for free so I could keep riding.
I realize Kozy’s is close and convenient for a lot of people, but thought I would share my story that there are other bike shops out there with competitive pricing and much better service. It’s too bad I had to spend thousands of dollars there only to learn that the money is the only thing they care about.