I bought a bike from Bruce back in the early 1980s, and foolishly left it behind during an international move. I was back in Urbana for a day and thought i might check in. Say hello, and consider a new bike. The shop is not in condition to open. There is junk on the floor one would have to step over starting 3 feet into the shop and going back forever. The sign on the door made mention of a pandemic order from three years ago. I asked at other nearby businesses, and was told he'd had some health issues. I hope he can find his way back to health and work, because he does know about bicycles. I'm thinking of you, Bruce! read more

Just. Don't. Bother. I knew ahead of time that Bruce was known for being really abrasive. I didn't care as long as he was able to fix my bike. He mostly did... eventually. His hours are horrendous (3hrs a day) and he's not always there during the posted times (happened to me twice!). As everyone knows, he's intentionally rude. I called after not hearing anything for over a week and he rattled off some excuse and hung up on me. When I finally went in to pick up my bike he had already done extra work that we hadn't discussed and charged me for it. And the pièce de résistance...the front brake is now screwed up. He mentioned it was hard to take off and there are some tool marks on it. I honestly don't mind that, but the brake lever is SUPER loose now and I think the caliper is bent. The ironic part is he criticized the workmanship of anyone/everyone who had previously worked on the bike pretty much the whole time I was in his shop. I don't care if he's "eccentric". I was willing to overlook his attitude and the fact that his shop literally smells like a litter box, but it's just not worth it. read more

My bike is around 20 years old and the back wheel was wobbly and honestly I considered getting a new bike. Decided to take it to Bikeworks as I had over the years and it feels brand new again. Best ride after getting it fixed in years! If you aren't serious about bikes and biking, this might not be the shop for you. If you want your bike fixed right and some honest advice about how to maintain it, this is the place. He knows what he is doing and takes pride in it. Thank you, sincerely. read more

BRUUUUCE! Ok, I admit it, it's been like, nine years since we used Bikeworks, but his repuation holds with our bikey C-U friends, and he and the guys had the best bike fu anywhere. They did several tune-ups and more major work for us. We had no issues with his bedside manner. It was one of his guys who introduced "tacoing the wheel" to us, still my all-time fave bike accident term. read more

I got an old Bianchi bike that had been beaten up pretty badly over the years... I basically got it from this friend under the terms of "if you can salvage it, you can have it." Since it came from Bruce originally, that's where I went to get it fixed. So here's my experience... When I first called, he asked a few questions like "road or mountain?" and "what kind of handle bars?" and "what company?" He wasn't particularly bubbly, but he was no where near as rude as some people have claimed he is. I walked my bike over. Before I was even in the door, he commented on how the chain hadn't seen much oil and a few minutes later he scolded me for having the U-lock sitting on the handle bar when I walked it in. Again, I didn't find it rude; he had a point - it is bad for the bike. He took my contact information and said he'd call a few days later when it was fixed. (He tried to give me a cost estimate then and there, but I don't think he was certain with everything that was wrong with it.) I don't think I got any phone call, so I showed up like a week later. My bike was fixed - brand new front tire, new front inner tube, new front brake pads, newly unbent/aligned rim, and he fixed the wobbly seat. All of these repairs (and perhaps some I don't exactly know) cost me $95. (He showed me exactly why he had to make so many replacements.) I asked which oil he recommended for the chain, and he sold me some for $4. He also showed me how to properly oil the chain, which was very helpful. And this time he was really friendly! Closing thoughts: I really think he's just misunderstood by some folks (like those giving him poor reviews). The man knows his stuff and has done this for years - you shouldn't be wasting his time with a cheap bike or if you don't care about your bike. I'll admit he can seem kind of harsh, but as long as you walk in with a little humility and patience, you'll walk away happy. I'm very satisfied with my experience at Bikeworks. I'd recommend Bruce to my friends. read more

Bikeworks is like a golden jewel that I wish I'd stumbled onto earlier. I could have been saved a lot of time, money and headache. These bad reviews seem to be coming from a generation of people who are accustomed to people kissing your butt and begging for a sale. Why do I like the old man at Bikeworks? Because he isn't BSing me. He knows his bikes. He isn't pretending to be nice to try and wheedle a sale out of me. He's honest. He doesn't overcharge. And oh does he know what he is doing. Oh, and strangely enough, I struck up a good long conversation with him. He is VERY friendly. I don't know what some of these other reviewers are talking about, but he was nowhere near rude to me OR my friend. Was he bending over backwards and brown-nosing me for a sale? Hell no (do these college kids REALLY expect that so much?). Did he immediately show us two excellent bikes and wait patiently while my boyfriend decided between the two, and tried them out for an hour, even past closing time, all the while chatting with me and answering questions? Yep. He got almost $500 for a bike that my boyfriend absolutely adores, and I sincerely hope that he's around for years to come -- and that I get the chance to support his business many more times in the future. read more

Bruce was a real cool dude when I met him outside of Murphy's one night. He checked out my Schwinn voyageur and commented on what a nice frame it was. We shot the shit for a bit and it was cool. I just went into his shop today to get a new cassette for my rear wheel and to ask about some issues I was having with my bike. My cassettes lowest gear is worn out and I needed a new one. Bruce answered my questions in the rudest way I've been talked to by a business owner in my life. I left without the cassette or answers. To put it shortly Bruce was a total dick. His shop is disgustingly messy, which really doesn't matter, and his demeanor is belligerent, terse, and ill-mannered. I will never go back there. read more

Bruce is a very interesting character! He is so interesting that someone actually made a youtube of him: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L1m1QIFTtg He really knows his stuff. He is honest, charges honest money (sometimes even do light tuneups for free). He doesn't just fix a bike, he wants to make sure the bikes are safe to ride. He doesn't like to fix walmart bikes though, so if your bike is too cheap, don't bother to bring it there. read more

Bruce is passionate about bikes. They are his life. And he's really, really, really good at what he does, which is repairing bikes, selling them, and selling good quality equipment to use with bikes. He also teaches bicycle repair in his shop, for free (last I checked). He will also sometimes let people fix their own bikes in his shop if they show the right attitude, and he'll give them tips on how to do it better. That is unheard of in "normal" bike shops. Bruce sells excellent high-end bicycles, such as Bianchi. I bought a couple of those from him over the 10 years I lived in Urbana, and I was very happy with both of them. (I still have one of them almost 20 years later.) However, he also has a vast collection of used bikes of every size, type, style, and numerous makers, that you can buy from him for very cheap and reasonable prices. If you're interested in such a bike, he will sell one to you after he has fixed the right one up for you. Importantly, he will only sell you a bike that really meets your needs. So, he'll ask you what you want to do with the bike, and then help you find that bike that best meets your needs. I bought one such bike for one of my daughters, which was perfect for her. For repairs, he'll do an excellent job, and get it right, at a reasonable price. He enjoys challenging himself with difficult repairs, such as fixing "potato chip" wheels. If you are a regular customer, and the repair is something he can do in a couple of minutes (e.g., minor break adjustments, minor derailleur adjustments, minor lubrication), he'll often do it within an hour for free, or very cheap. That's also uncommon among bike shops. My daughters and I would often stop by Bike Works and get minor repairs done, before they became real problems. And while waiting, we'd have really nice conversations with him and his other customers. But, as noted by some other folks, Bruce does not have patience with low quality bikes (e.g., among his least favorite brands is Huffy, and among his least favorite vendors is WalMart). A famous quote from him is "Life is too short to work on sh**ty bikes." So, if you're looking to get a repair done on a $60 Walmart bike, or a Huffy, you should go elsewhere. But if it is a reasonable quality bike, regardless of its age, he will happily fix it for you. And if he can't fix it, most likely nobody can. read more

This is an especially nice guy and he ordered and built my son's bike several years ago. That bike was and still is a fantastic ride and Bruce custom built it. We never had any kind of problem with it and it had many, many hard rides and some falls over the years. This person really knows what he is doing and is a remarkable craftsman, and also seems like an incredibly nice guy. Highly recommend this shop to anyone. read more

Okay. I see many people don't care for Bruce's manner. He is a bit of a curmudgeon and the place is untidy with all those bike repairs going on. Not a problem for me. He sells good bikes at fair prices. And there is no better person I know of for bike repairs (though he gets a little surly if you are unwilling to learn how to change a tire i.e. put in a new inner-tube. He taught me in five minutes.) And he is great to talk to if you want to learn about features and don't let your ego get in the way--it is worth it. I have not bought high end bikes here but have purchased two mid-range Bianchi bikes from him in the last two decades. I love love love these bikes. Strong, smooth riding, intuitive bikes that last and last (which I am sure the thieves who took them did not even consider--should have listened to Bruce about locking up even in the garage). I will listen this time. I have no doubt the high end bikes are also among best in class--this guy has found his calling in bicycles. He owns four. He says "That's enough for now." I no longer live here but I am planning to buy from Bruce again anyway. Will put the bike in my car and take it back to Chicago knowing it will be great on the roads and the Lakeshore bike path. Oh and they are pretty too, if one cares for that sort of thing. Couple notes--I know Yelp says he is usually closed but he has regular (short) hours 10am - 2:30pm weekdays. Better to call ahead to make sure he is there--he is a man who works at his own discretion some days. He will wait, however, if you call and he knows you are coming even if he has lunch plans. Also, there is (30 minutes) free parking between signs in front of the building. Metered parking is 50 cents an hour and there are usually spots right there. read more

Apparently Bruce does good work for reasonable rates, but please do not attempt to patronize this business unless you are fond of being verbally abused and talked down to in the worst possible way. I had heard that he was rude, but I let it slide, thinking maybe people were too sensitive. I should have heeded the warnings, as I have never before wanted to punch a grown man in the face as I the one time I visited his shop. Plus, we didn't even get any help with the bike... Bruce just made insinuations about the shop where we had purchased the bike and wanted us to try to get information from the shop and then bring it back to him. It was all kinds of creepy and unhelpful. read more

Bruce K's Bikeworks defies summary capsulation as a bike store, much less a legitimate business. In my time in champaign I was twice denied service by Bruce. Both times involved refusal to work on my high end road bicycle on the grounds that he didn't sell that brand, he then went on to compare it to a Wal-Mart Magna. I thoroughly enjoyed all these experiences and appreciate Bruce for being a unique dude. If you can get him to work on your bike, the guy is a magician. He un-taco'd my wheel that had been run over by a car and somehow got it perfectly true again. I was speechless, then became even more taken aback when he told me the price...super cheap. He also replaced spokes for me and sold me some tools at a good price. Given my persisting disdain for Wurst...I mean Durst, I am a stalwart supporter of Bikeworks. He also has a lot of cool shit to browse if he doesn't yell at you for looking around. Most of that cool shit is Mapei and Telekom gear from the 90s that he never sold, or refused to sell for some unknown reason. Worth the trip! Reading all the negative reviews about this place makes me miss it that much more. I will be stopping by the next time I am in town! read more

I actually like people who readily deliver criticism to others - I think it's the right thing to do when you see something you don't like. I thought Bruce was one of those fellows who really knows his stuff and calls out crap when he sees crap. I figured the bad reviews were just from people who couldn't handle direct speaking, and for the most part they probably are. I ignored all those reviewers and went into Bruce's shop to look at bikes. He didn't give me crap because I'm straightforward and we got along just fine. He let me test ride several bikes and I eventually bought one, which he ordered in my size and assembled. Bruce offers 1 year servicing on the bikes he sells. Unlike many others, my one star review has nothing to do with the Bruce personality but because of just plain bad service. Bruce took far longer to get my bike ready than what he quoted. I tried to stop by more than once only to find the stop was closed during posted business hours. When I did get my bike I immediately noticed the handlebars were not nearly perpendicular to the front tire (seriously???). So he fixed that, kind of. When I started to pick up the bike to load it into my trunk Bruce took the bike out of my hands to show me how it's done, and scratched the paint off my back bumper with the pedal (thanks a lot). After riding the bike for a while I found that the handle bar grips slipped out of place way too easily. I also found the handlebar itself was not perfectly centered and was rotating in its mount so I had to tighten that down quite a bit. I also noticed a problem with the shifting where the shifters didn't seem well aligned with the gears so the chain always wanted to be between gears. I tried to stop by Bruce's shop several times only to find that it was closed during his posted business hours. One time I really needed a replacement tube and it was closed during two attempts. When I finally managed to find Bruce at work I showed him the problems with the bike and he had absolutely no interest in fixing them. 1 year servicing my ass. Eccentric, jackass, it doesn't really matter. Just poor service. read more

The worst service ever. Not helpful at all. Definitely turn to this weird and stingy old man if you wanna pay for being verbally abused.

I have known Bruce for over 20 years. He put me into my first Bianchi Brava. Then the first cycle cross. Then into the first grizzly mountain bike. He has always been there for support and information. I trust him with all of my biking gear and information. The only one to go to at the U of I. read more

As so many other reviewers have stated, the owner has no respect for his customers. Condescending and patronizing are two good adjectives to describe his attitude. I would never support a store where the owner says "the customer is almost never right", as he expresses on this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L1m1QIFTtg One of the entries in the YoutTube Comments section is from a former employee, who expresses his admiration for his "gruff, surly, obstinate" personality. Another former employee recalls with fondness how they liked to tell people off if they brought poor quality bikes, unless that customer was an attractive female. You can find numerous other bike stores in the area where mechanics know their stuff too, but they will not abuse or mistreat you if you have an old rusty bike. It seems like the owner and the mechanics at Bikeworks only want to work on quality bikes (like the Bianchis they have in the store). Only that, with their discourteous attitude, they would not last in a world of elite bikes, where quality is also measured in terms of how you treat your customers. I guess that's why they are still at a whole-in-the-wall bike shop. read more

I had a flat tire and brought my bike to Durst who was in the middle of closing and very rude, telling me there was no way they could fix it on the spot. As I am new to town, they recommended taking it to Bike Works, which I did. I called ahead to make sure they could fix my flat on the spot which the owner agreed to do. His assistant took care of it for me and even taught me how to oil the bike and also change a flat in the future! It was great, and cheap! A few days later my bike's chain fell off and you know who I went to. This time it was just Bruce. He was a little irritated that my bike was from Wal-Mart (his policy is that he doesn't work on Wal-Mart bikes), but because he knew me from before, he said he wouldn't enforce the policy on me ;) The chain issue ended up being a million other issues (because, surprise surprise, it's a Wal-Mart bike and not put together right). He taught me why the bike was crappy, and what to tell Wal-mart when I return it, which I plan on doing. He spent so much careful time putting it together and didn't even end up charging me! (well, I bought other things, he even taught me how to lock up my bike so that it never gets stolen!) I understand when people say he comes off as unfriendly, but I like to think of Bruce as misunderstood. He's seems passionate and knowledgable about his work and his store, and he really just wants you to always have a good quality bike. Always. It probably annoys him when people bring him awful bikes, because they should have never settled for that in the first place. Condescending about my Wal-mart bike? Maybe, but what he was saying wasn't lies, he was telling it like it is, and he would know because he's been at that business since '81. He has a direct way of talking but to me, as a new bike owner, I was just happy to listen to his reflections and took it all as a learning experience. Maybe because he was direct and telling the truth is what throws people off in this customer-is-always-right country. I would bring my bike back for sure, and you should too. But just don't go in there expecting flowers to dance above his head as he works, this isn't a customer-service store with smiles and greetings, it's a get-er-done kinda store and because he works fast, it works for me! read more

This is a little bike store in a neighborhood right by U of I. I went in today and recieved great service in help buying a bicycle. I had a laundry list of issues and was helped very well! About everyone else citing attitude problems, he doesn't have an attitude, he knows what hes doing 100% 30 years of experience. He even stayed late with me past closing even though he had an appointment with a friend right after work. If you want the best tune ups and service go here. if you want a friendly smile, terrible service, being overcharged, and lies to your face go to durst. read more

If you don't feel like dealing with someone rude, this is not the place to go. If you have the mental energy and/or thick skin, Bikeworks is a great shop. They do quality work for a very reasonable price. read more

Bruce is excellent. He's a master craftsman, he knows what he's doing, and he hates to see shitty bikes and bikes in poor repair--just as most expert craftspeople hate to see shoddy or badly treated work. I trust him totally and think he's the best bet in the area for all my regular bike maintenance and bike woes. If I have a bad bike or one in poor repair I simply confess it when I walk in and ask him politely if he thinks he can handle working on it. The most recent times I've used him: for way overdue bike maintenance (and to put kickstand on bikes, which he hates but does anyway) for current bike, and for fixing up *old* bike bought through craig's list which needed a fair bit of attention before being driveable. Did great work; He's made of awesome. read more

Do not support this business. Bruce does not treat you with respect and will only reticule you and your bike. I dropped off my wheel to get new spokes/retrued and was a total jerk about it. I ended up turning around, getting my wheel back and telling him I was going to take my business somewhere else where they treat their customers better. I walked all the way out to Champaign Cycle and it was worth the long distance out there. read more