Cronometro

This is the only place in town (aside from my own hands) I will trust to wrench my beloved carbon Colnago!
They have fantastic knowledgeable mechanics, competitive prices, and quality high-​end parts.
Quick service turnaround. Stellar bike fittings.

SUPERB bike shop! Very knowledgeable staff and good service. The selection is rather narrow and everything is on the high end/​expensive, but it’s all great quality. They did a fantastic job tuning up my bike. I recently did a saddle fitting and they spent a lot of time trying different saddles and getting the fit just right for me. Highly recommended.

Crono is, by far, the best bike shop I’ve been to in Madison. (or Wisconsin for that matter). It can be best described as a shop full of eye candy for the serious road cyclist. With brands such as Cervelo, Seven and Colnago, they really are into what they do. Although I never made a bike purchase from the shop, I’ve used their service department on several occasions. Andy has always been able to accommodate my needs on when I had to have my bike by, despite being super overloaded with work. I suspect that their sales department is equally as top notch, and wouldn’t hesitate to purchase a bike from them.

I’m glad, in certain respects, that we have a dedicated high-​end shop like this in Madison. Its nice to have a place that is very enthusiastic about road cycling. More importantly, Cronometro has a great staff of mechanics who actually know their way around a bicycle.
However, one is not likely to find very practical advice at Cronometro. If you happen to be looking for anything other than a high-​end road bike, look elsewhere. In fact, even if one was in the market for a high-​end road bike, I might not be inclined to recommend Cronometro. This is certainly not because the staff is incompetent or anything other fault in that respect, on the contrary they’re knowledgeable and more than competent. Rather, the selection is clearly geared cyclists who overlook the obvious facts about a bike, perhaps blinded by an insatiable desire to spend a ridiculous amount of money on a bike. The bikes at Cronometro are hyper-​expensive and rarely better than bikes that cost half or a quarter as much. If one wanted and expensive bike, one certainly buy something with a lot more character than a Serotta, Seven, or Parlee. These are the sorts of bikes that are sold to people who are so fixated on things like stiffness-​to-​weight ratios that they forget that their own gut weighs more than the frame. This not to say that they are bad bikes, but they are certainly not smart or interesting bikes either.
Although they give you a discount when buy a bike and a fitting together, they don’t offer any great deals on building a bike from a frameset that you purchase with them.
If you’re a triathlete salivating over a Cervelo, they’re the only place in town to go. However, a proper fitting and a bit of decent advice about position would be more valuable — aerodynamically speaking — than the P3C and Zipps that you will inevitably purchase.
Its unfortunately difficult to separate this shop from the selection of equipment that it offers. Being that the selection is so narrow, it is truly difficult to justify going to Cronometro. Williamson Bikes offers more custom options (Moots, Seven, Lynsky, Co-​Motion, Independent Fabrications), equally qualified fitting services, equally as competent mechanics, and they’ll be able to sell you a commuter, a cyclocross beater, or an entry-​level bike to boot.
If you’re in the area and need mechanical services, they’re a fine place to go. However, if you need to buy just about anything (from a helmet to a new bike) one would do well to visit Williamson bikes instead.

I’m an avid cyclist, and while I spent nearly a dozen years working on cars in some capacity or another (professional technician, crew chief, fabricator, etc), I realize the benefit of leaving some things «to the experts.»
Bike repair is my Achilles Heel… for some reason, I get nervous working around all of the torque sensitive components, and the fact that my bikes feature carbon fiber frames doesn’t build any confidence in my ham-​fisted abilities.
So, when my beloved Cervelo started making some funky noises from the bottom bracket area, I immediately went on the search for a quality bike shop. I didn’t have to look very far; Cervelo recommended Cronometro on Williamson, so I gave them a shout and brought the ‘olé whip in for some much needed love and attention.
I met with Andrew, one of the mechanics there, and explained to him what I was experiencing with the bike. He took it for a test ride, gave it a quick once over, and offered a few ideas. I wasn’t in a hurry to have the bike fixed as I was leaving town for the weekend, so I asked him to dig-​in and fix whatever needed fixing.
Early the next day, Andrew called to report that my bottom bracket was in need of replacement (3500 miles on the original, which come to think of it had always sounded funny, even from day one; I suspect the shop that I purchased the bike from assembled it incorrectly). He also indicated that my headset was loose — the bottom bearing had failed, and that my chain looked «rough» (it too was original).
I authorized the repairs, and received a call later that day from Andrew, who reported that all was well. The noises and «catchy feelings» were gone, and that he wanted me to come check on the bike. I was still out of town, so I wouldn’t have a chance to grab the bike until after the weekend.
I picked-​up the bike, took it for a spin, and I must say that it felt better than ever. Smooth, quiet, and efficient. It was just like riding a brand new bike again. I happily paid my bill ($ 220 — 1 hour labor, DuraAce chain, Wipperman link, Cane Creek bearing, and DuraAce bottom bracket assembly; not bad, really), and went on my merry way.
After riding 70-​odd miles today, the bike feels great. My hat’s off to Andrew and Cronometro. I had pleaded with the folks who originally built this bike to double check the bottom bracket — it had made noise since day one, but they said it was «normal.» Andrew quickly and efficiently repaired my bike, and I now look forward to many miles of trouble-​free riding.
Cronometro offers some really nice gear — Cervelo, Zipp, 3T and Assos to name a few. I didn’t spend much time in the shop (they’re great at greeting you, helping you, and letting you get on your way in a quick manner), so I didn’t really poke around too much, but I’ll definitely be back.
I saw them fitting a gentleman for a bike as well, and I have complete confidence that they (Crono) know what they’re doing. If you enjoy biking, swing by Cronometro. All signs point to an impressive operation.

Comfort and control need not come at the price of $ 3500 Italian bicycle. The guys at Cronometro will take the bike you own now and fit it to your exact specifications. It’ll cost you $ 165 but it’s well worth it if you’re planning on riding more than an hour at a stretch this summer.
The owner, Colin O’Brien, is a great guy with a lot of experience both as a rider and a fitter of bikes. If you have ambitions of being a better biker than you right now you should call for an appointment. You’ll get a fit that will get you fit.