McDonald’s Cycle Center

Dan, the head bike mechanic, is among the best bike mechanics I’ve encountered in 20 years — helpful and friendly beyond any reasonable expectation. Also, even though this is in Millenium Park, service costs are surprisingly reasonable. But mainly, Dan is the reason for this five-​star review.

This bike repair shop is one block from my house. I have used them on 4 separate occasions to get flats repaired. Bottom line is they put a new tube in but do nothing to see what caused the flat. So u keep getting flats. I tried them years ago and had this problem and regrettably tried them again 2 weeks ago. 3 flats later I am going somewhere else. Waste of money, waste of time and too many missed biking opportunities. Take your bike to recycle instead. That guy is awesome.

Awesome — Day pass for $ 5 for towel, shower access, locker and safe bike storage. They even have a steamer in the mens locker room to get any wrinkles out of your shirt before you head into the office.

HORRIBLE SERVICE. I went to get a flat fixed as I left work & noticed I had a flat tire. The mechanic patched my tire (horrible bike maintenance procedure) and replaced my tube. I asked how long the patch would hold and if I should replace my tire, and the mechanic said not necessary to replace the tire. I rode twice afterwards and received another flat yesterday, so I called to get a refund from the first flat fix and the mechanic said that was not possible unless he could inspect the tire. I told him that I’ve gotten the flat fixed (so I could ride home yesterday), so clearly the tire nor tube would not show what caused the flat. AVOID THIS BIKE SHOP AT ALL COSTS.

I had never been here before or knew it existed but a delivery brought me near by. I walked in seeing about buying a rear rack for my bicycle as I’d recently started doing deliveries. I asked the girl at the desk what they had available and she showed me some 40 — 50 dollar racks on the wall which seems to be the going rate for a new rack. She then asked the gentleman working in the shop (I think his name was Steve) if there were any others. He mentioned they have used ones (from their rental bikes) and if I’d like they’d give me one installed on the spot for $ 25! 15 minutes later I was out the door.
I was impressed that even just walking in and being a non-​member they were that accommodating. I, unfortunately do not have a need for their membership services but would definitely recommend them to someone who does.

Only place of it’s kind in downtown Chicago.
Great place for commuters to park the bike in a secure location, shower up, change, and head to the office. I have been commuting to work via bike for 5 years now. I’m not sure how I managed it before I found this place. The old baby-​wipe «shower» in the office bathroom just doesn’t cut it.
The on site bike shop is great too. Dan is a great guy, very knowledgeable.

I was riding back from Promontory Point along the Lakefront Trail when I got a flat around Jackson. I started to walk over to Michigan Ave to hop on the bus when I remembered that the McDonald’s Cycle Center was in Millennium Park.
Turns out that I not only had a flat but the side of my tire was also shredded. Popped in and they replaced the tube and tire in twenty minutes! $ 42 for tire, tube, labor and tax. That seems like a reasonable rate for downtown Chicago.
Friendly and fast service made a bad situation much better.

If you ride your bike to work This is a great place to park your bike. They have showers, lockers, onsite repair, and they sell bike accessories. Great staff and an awesome bike riding community!

When I decided to start biking to work I had no idea how lucky I would end up being that my office is right across the street from cycle center. I debated buying a membership to store my bike there during the day but when you spend a lot of money on a bike and deal with unpredictable Chicago weather it’s a great resource and value. I do wish that bikes could be left overnight (maybe with an added fee?) but I understand why it isn’t allowed. The only extra service I’ve used so far is the repair center for a tune up. They did a fantastic job. I met Dan when I arrived who straight away gave me tips about a better way to align my brakes and handle bars. I told him to do whatever he thought best and I’m glad he did, worked out brilliantly. They also did a fantastic job on the tune-​up. My ride home that night was noticeably improved and easier and they even cleaned up all the mud for me. If you’re thinking about biking to work I have definitely become a fan. And for $ 35 a month you can’t beat what a great resource the cycle center can be.

M has been using the McDonald’s Cycle Center for years and it has nestled into a cozy spot in her heart. I was harder to convince — especially since she just kind of obliged me to use her Groupon for a bike tune-​up before it expired.
At first I was really annoyed. Nobody was around to greet me or help me out. I had no idea what this place was or how it worked. It’s not a regular bike store or bike repair place. The McDonald’s Cycle Center rents indoor bike racks for commuters who live or work downtown. They have lockers and showers for those people (M has sent me to retrieve stuff from her locker before). I am not one of those people.
They also rent bikes to folks who want to rent a bike. Their rates are best for people who want to have the bike (and helmet) for a few hours. Divvy bikes are best for people who have their own helmet and who only need the bike for 30 minute intervals.
Anyway, I was there for a tune-​up. The dropping off and picking up process was obnoxious (mostly because the employees are invisible creatures who only appear after the onset of irritation). I now understand that the McDonald’s Cycle Center will do work on any bike; however, they’re best suited for the people who rent the spaces. The maintenance people can work on the bikes leisurely and then lock them up again for the owner to claim when finished.
I have a better system now that makes the McDonald’s Cycle Center much better for me. I simply have M ride my bike to work in the morning, have the maintenance guy work on it during the day, and then she rides it back home to me. She has great rapport with the maintenance guy and it is a pleasure for both of them to go along with my method.

I wanted to like this place, but I don’t. It seems to be another one of those «now you have permission from the city to bike”-type establishments that might work for the high-​end Village Cycle crowd, tourists, and the general biking skeptics. But I’d already been biking to work, know where to lock up my bike and can generally perform my own repairs.
So the reason I even have an opinion about this place is because the building at 225 n michigan ave used to have nice covered bike racks for all weather commuting. But they relocated those a few steps over to an uncovered area where at least 10 people are sitting around smoking at any given time (just what I want to breathe in after a bike ride).
So facing some rain today, I went over to the cycle center to see about their indoor bike parking. The indoor parking is only for members. Great. Fine. I can deal with that, but make that clear on the website. And also be a little more clear about the location. It’s at Randolph and Columbus, not Michigan and Randolph, where Millenium Park starts.
Obviously I wouldn’t begrudge anyone else from going there, but for some it not be worth the effort and money.

Every time I’ve had a problem with my bike and brought it here (mostly chain problems), the repair guy has fixed it for free (one time it even took like 10 – 20 minutes).
AND they teach me how to make adjustmesnts/​fix minor problems my self.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this place.

So I blew a tire on the way in to work yesterday. Managed to grab the blue line into work while I figured out what I should do (since I left my patch kit and pump at home — rookie mistake). I saw on Unilocal that these folks were the closest bike shop to my work.
So I came in after work for what I thought would be a quick fix. I’m glad I came in though. I’d blown the wire bead on my tire! They had the kind of tire (Gatorskins are pricey but worth it!) I wanted and put it on in no time flat (pun intented). It’s clear they do a lot of business, especially with the tourist and commuter crowds. Rightly they should. They’re totally great!

I’m lucky enough to work right across the street from this place. It is the perfect facility for the serious or casual bicycle commuter. There is ample parking, even if you are a non-​member. The locker room is always clean and even at peak times, you don’t have to wait long for a shower in the morning.
The staff are all friendly and helpful. I consider my monthly membership to be a bargain.

After a several year hiatus from riding my bike to work, because my office moved locations, I now have a new job and am back at my old building which gives me a chance to ride again. Back in the day I would always leave my bike at the McDonald’s Cycle Center and now is no different.
It’s about a three block walk to my office and is super convenient to get to from the lake front path. Luckily I have a free gym in my building to shower and get ready for work, but if I didn’t I would absolutely pay for the facilities at the cycle center.
I know I could lock up my bike outside my office, but it gives me piece of mind to have it at the cycle center for the day. It definitely seems more secure.
I also had them tune up my bike a few years ago and they did a great job. I will likely have them tackle that again next spring.

Most bike stores have employees who have major attitude issues. It’s become
a nightmare to even enter these shops but McDonald’s Cycle is the absolute
best at what they do. I had some minor repairs done and the service and
staff were truly first class!

I ride my bike to work almost every day and I must say, this place is awesome! I’m so happy I found it. I’ve been a member since July and I still love this place. Everyone here is very pleasant.
They have a bike shop and they also sell bike accessories and some clothing. The guys at the bike shop are awesome! I’ve asked them about 4 times to put air in my tires and they do it willingly. I also asked them to adjust my bike seat and they spent about 10 minutes trying to find the perfect fit, and they did not charge me!
The Chicago Police park their bikes here and I see them in a daily basis, I must say, at first I thought it was going to be awkward sharing a place with them, but I was wrong! They are very cool people (maybe just the few that ride bike).
I truly recommend this place! I bike 7 miles to work and is nice to know there’s a secure place I can leave my new bike, a locker to leave my personal belongings and nice/​clean showers to refresh every morning.
On another note, I’ve also rented bikes from here. The people here are just all around pleasant to deal with. One complain, the same as the other review, their online reservation SUCKS! You can’t do same day reservation, only 24 hours and even doing it 24 hours, it sometimes doesn’t work. If it doesn’t work, just call and they’ll adjust the price for you.

Out of town guests wanted to see the city via bike so we came here to do our rentals. Everything was great: bikes were good, employees were nice. But this place gets 3 stars because of the on-​line reservation service.
You go on-​line to speed things up abit, to have everything done before you get there, but this place charges an on-​line convenience fee. What’s up with that?! It ended up only being a buck or two more by just paying in person.
All in all we had a good time, but I don’t suggestion reserving on-​line; you’ll only get charged more.

The guy here was super nice! He charged us all the cheapest price of the bikes… even though one guy got a more expensive one. Also, he only charged us one hour though he said we could ride for two. Awesome.
The bike ride was really peaceful and an easy way to go around the lake. I highly recommend it.

For the past 3 months, this has been my 2^nd home. I recently decided to start biking to work and the McDonald’s Cycle Center has been my bikesaver.
The staff is wonderful and attentive. They basically know you by name. They offer bicycle repairs at a discount to members and the facility is top notch for parking your bike.
The locker rooms are kept clean and get this they have a steamer so you dont come out looking wrinkled for work. LOL!
I’ve met some great people as well who have offered helpful tips on my biking experience. This bit here has really been great for me.
I know many who rent bikes from here but you can also use the facility to get your bike repairs done and even purchase gear for the bike.