Memorial Day Weekend, needed new (last minute) tires for my low grade bike. 9AM- looked online for shop, Bucephalus was only shop open, 901AM, spoke with person on phone who said they could accommodate my situation 10AM- went over to shop, met owner (Alex) and friendly staff was very helpful despite the fact they were obviously beginning to get busy- 1010- Tech was helping me until Alex came over and checked out bike and gave me options- 1030- new tires on bike- no charge for the work- gave bike quick once over- oiled chain etc. 12- hit the road- 130- was downtown Chicago Bike path napping on wall, had a 24 mile ride. Bike feels great! I'll be back, thanks Alex, his wife (I think), staff. read more

July 2012 Found this listing on YELP, so set out to find business. When I located the address listed there were other businesses in the space, and no notice or signs that bike repair business had moved to another location. Called number listed only to get a recorded message that the phone mailbox was full. So I could not locate business. Ended up going elsewhere in Evanston. -- Evanston IL customer read more

This place is great! Their prices are very reasonable, their service is top-notch, and they are always so helpful. I'm hesitant to write this review because I'm worried that I'll never be able to get my bike in here now, but truthfully, they are the best! read more

Stopped in with a friend who is looking for a used bike. I had called earlier in the week and knew they had some used bikes and we wanted to see if any were in her price range. We spoke with Cecelia, the owner's wife. She was very friendly and knowledgeable and let us know right away that she didn't have anything in the price range we were interested in. She took the time to offer some suggestions on where we might look though and she showed us what they did have in stock. I was impressed with the time and attention we received and will definitely return when I need service on my own bike. read more

Great inexpensive tuneup with this neighborhood business. The best part was the absence of the pretentious "bike snob" attitude that you find at most Evanston bike shops. read more

Alex and family are great to work with. My '71 Schwinn Collegiate was masterfully repaired and tuned up. No more clinks clanks or clunks. And it is super shiny now. Hoping to get another year out of this bad boy. Alex showed me a sweet brand new ride I'll consider for 2015. I'm also noticing a lot of orange bucephalus stickers on bikes at bike racks throughout Evanston. Cool logo. Cool color. Certainly an endorsement of this indie owned company. I highly recommend Bucephalus. read more

Alex and his crew are knowledgeable and very helpful. This is a true family run neighborhood spot and Alex gives all of the customers his person attention. Like any small shop, you may have to wait a bit and quality of work takes sometimes precedence over timely delivery. However, they stand by their work and you could not do business with a nicer or more honest guy. Bucephalus Bikes is well-worth supporting! read more

Alex is awesome. I was recently on a long ride coming through Evanston from the city when my tire went flat. In my past couple rides I had had the same the same thing happen and decided I needed to find a shop because my last spare wasn't going to do me any good. It was an early Sunday morning around 830 and the only bike shop open was Bucephalus. Alex welcomed us in took my tire and commenced removing all of shards of glass in it. Replaced the tube and got us back on the road in no time. Thanks for being open so early and being such a great guy. Life saver! read more

This shop is the best in customer service! Just bought my new bike (first time rider) and Alex was fantastic in helping me through the purchase. He is very knowledgeable and patient. Best of all, I loved that he wasn't pushy and trying to sell me more than I needed. I will be a loyal customer! read more

I was completely blown away by the attention to detail and truly community vibe this spot gives. I took my 8 year old to get fitted for a new bike. The owner's older kids help out in the repair shop on weekends which was cool, being a dad of 3 myself. The owner also offered to tune up our other bikes while we were there ( at no extra cost). He also spent time to research a new hitch for my denali...And while he did not carry that variety offered to order it for me anyway. I also noticed that every other customer was treated the same. LOVELY small town vibe. If this place doesn't make you want to buy local, then nothing will. If you are the kind of person that is always in a big hurry, then don't come here. They take their time, get to know your needs, and do it right! Thank you Bucephalus!! Oh..And we found out the owner, Alex, is from Uruguay, where my wife is from too. Small world...Que grande el mundo y Que Chico tambien. read more

I took my Gary Fisher in for a tuning and came away with what felt like a new bike. Bucephalus Bikes has THE Lowest base rate for overhauls in North Chicagoland, and wont over charge you for parts. After visiting a number of shops looking for a shop to tune up my bike, the decision to go with Bucephalus was a no brainer . Alex and Ryan really know bicycles! (as a bonus, they leave the snobbery that we often find in bike shops out of the equation.) They're honest and recognize the value in providing great customer service, (read: they're genuinely friendly people.) You get their full attention no matter if you're a casual summertime cruiser, a daily commuter, or hard core, competitive rider. They're not out to empty your wallet either, they simply want you to continue to enjoy your bicycle investment for years to come. They also have a cool selection of one-of-a-kind rebuilds for sell. Each is its own example of care and professional workmanship you find in great artist's workshops. I will undoubtedly bring all of my bikes here for all of my service needs. Do yourself a favor...if you ride bikes (or will be soon), just stop by. You'll see... read more

Fantastic. Great for every budget and gives you just what you need, not what you don't! Great guy, cool shop, flexible, and really cares about you as a customer. I'm recommending Bucephalus to everyone I see. Great, great store. read more

Very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable and affordable place. Good quality and no up-sell. Easy parking right in front.

One of the best bike shop experiences I've ever had. Rehabbed a mid-90s era Fuji Thrill with the same meticulousness and enthusiasm one gets if purchasing a new top-of-the-line bike. Incredibly knowledgeable and thoughtful staff who understands both the technical aspects of bicycle maintenance and the importance of keeping good relationships. Would highly recommend this gem to anyone - will only go back to this shop. read more

So when was the last time you went into a business and you were greeted by the owner. Not too often. But that is what to expect when you go to Bucephalus Bikes. Personalized service with a business that seems to care about its customers. That is also pretty rare these days. Work was done on time for a fair price and the owner remembered my name when I came back to pick up my bike. Highly recommend! I hope they keep up the great work. read more

Fantastic shop! I have been getting my bike serviced at Bucephalus for years--starting at their first location, had to endure dark times during the hiatus before Alex reopened on Lake. As everyone has said: exceptionally friendly, thorough, and fairly priced. read more

Alex was a pleasure to deal with -- friendly, helpful, answered all my basic questions clearly (and without talking down to me). Cecelia was also very helpful. I'll be back again for sure. read more

I stumbled upon this bicycle shop with a flat tire. They fixed it within 15 minutes for a very reasonable price with such friendly service. I've seen a few over-priced and intimidating bike shops in Evanston and I'm happy to say that Bucephalus breaks the mold. read more

Believe all these stellar reviews - I did, and we ended up getting a spectacular price on a used boy's Specialized 16" that had just come in. All the staff were working on bikes, but one of the women said the bike she was rehabbing wasn't due until the next day, so she took my son's new-to-him bike right then to refurbish it, adding a new kickstand and handle grips. It was done within the hour, and we are now lifetime customers. read more

I came across this shop through the Schwinn website, though Schwinn unfortunately had their phone number wrong (a typo). Found him on google, though, and I'm so glad I did. I hadn't even looked at Bucephalus Bikes in Yelp before going, but I'm not suprised that they have a perfect record among Yelp reviewers. Alex is very nice, does great work, and is very fairly priced. I took my wife's jogging stroller there for some adjustments, and he gave us the lowdown on the problem (a slight bend in the frame, possibly a manufacture defect), and even offered to call Schwinn on our behalf to see what they could do for us. For anything non-motorized on wheels, I will go here from now on. The service is top notch! This is a small business that has got it right, exactly the kind of outfit that deserves strong local support. read more

Alex spends the time with every customer to make sure that any need is met. They ordered bikes for my wife and myself, helped us by adding kickstands, outfitting us with helmets, and doing some minor modifications. It is great to have him down the block, as I am sure that as a novice bike rider, we will need his help. read more

This was my fourth spring coming to Bacephalus. I originally went to the old location because it had the cheapest cost for a tune up that I could find in Chicago but I have continued coming back for the friendly and quality service. Alex has tuned up my Bianchi road bike 4 times and this season he went to work tuning up a 1970s French road bike for me that needed a lot of work and had not been riden in 7 years. His work was very reasonable and now the bike looks and rides great. Another positive is this is just a bike shop they aren't going to try to sell you a new bike like many of the mega stores in Chicagoland read more

I really WANT to love this place. The owners are wonderful people - super nice and take the time to talk to you. They did the yearly tune ups for my husband's and my bikes. Alex helped me load the bikes into the back of our SUV. I've been riding for over 15 years and know how to operate the quick release to get wheels off. For some reason, I was having difficulty with my front wheel. When I got it home, I found the brake to be WAY too tight to get the wheel back on. I brought my bike back, and the mechanic got the wheel back on. However, I asked to try to take the wheel off and put it back on, and it was still ridiculously tight - he had to use an allen wrench to loosen it, and I needed to tighten it back up when I got it home. This isn't normal, and my bike was never like this before. I'm not sure what happened to it there. The mechanic suggested it was maybe my computer wire tugging at it, but that isn't the case (and if it was, I would have appreciated the help figuring out the problem). The other not so great thing is that I asked them the first time I picked the bikes up if they could order in a Trek 16 for my 4 year old who wants a pedal bike (he's on the Trek balance bike now). Alex told me he would and would call me when it came in. When I went back a couple weeks later to get the wheel issue worked out, I asked if it was in yet, but he hadn't yet ordered it. I asked again if he would order it and call me when it came in. Here we are about a month since then, 2 weeks from my kid's birthday, and still no call about the bike. I called another area bike store and they carry all of the Trek kids bikes, so we will be heading there to spend a couple hundred dollars. From all the positive reviews I am guessing this experience is by far the exception and not the rule. I would still recommend going to this shop, since the people are so doggone nice. read more

We had two bike that needed a refresh. They had been in the basement for two years. Walked in the shop and there was an elder gentlemen that was asking for advice/ help. They never once took there attention from him to help me. I loved that. Awesome service .Prices are fair and they did a great job ... read more

this is the best experience i've ever had with a bike store. they fixed the bike, and it rode much better than before.

Excellent service, reasonable prices and really nice people. Brought my bike in and they fixed it on the spot! What more could you want?

Excellent, honest business. Took in two bikes that we hoped to have repaired before we needed them in three days. Alex said he had a week and a half of work waiting to be done in the back, but he would try to get the repairs done timely. He called us back in three hours to say they were ready for pick up. He also was very honorable in only charging us what he had quoted as the estimate, after his worker replaced an extra part that cost $20. He did not charge us for that. An extra bonus is that this shop is a little museum on the inside. Thank you Alex. Highly recommended. read more

A great store, run by wonderful people! They did a fabulous job repairing some long standing damage to my bicycle.

Bucephalus Bikes epitomizes all you could ask for in a bike shop: the highest quality service and professionalism combined with the kind of personal attention and care that one hopes for in a small neighborhood place. I am a lifelong commuter and, after Alex and his crew gave my 30-year old road bike its best overall in ages, I brought in my son's bike and my winter bike for tune-ups. Alex took ample time to discuss what the bikes needed, and one of his mechanics followed up as they worked on the bikes. Again, their work was impeccable. As a bonus, their prices are reasonable, particularly given the extremely high quality of their work and the fact that it's a small, family-owned bike shop. I'm fortunate that Bucephalus Bikes is in my neighborhood, but I would go out of my way to have Alex and his crew service my bike. read more

Went there and the owner alex was very helpful at first. I brought a bike that needed a couple things. We agreed an a price and when I went to pick it up I was told a higher amount. Very disappointed, felt I was taken advantage . read more

Best bike shop/service/employees ever. They made my craigslist purchase triathlon ready. Like it's a brand new bike again.

I never write reviews, but thought I had to in this case because of the outstanding advice and service we received. My wife and I were in the market to purchase two new bikes and came to this shop as one of many we visited. Alex and his wife Cecelia (it is a family business) were incredibly generous with their time even before we gave any indication that we would buy from them. Alex spent over four hours with us over the three visits we had to his shop to select and take delivery on our bikes which he customized for us at no additional charge. He is extremely knowledgable and takes all the time it requires for the customer to understand his/her options. He has that perfect combination of professionalism, friendliness and down to earth like-ability. We left his shop with new bikes, a new bike expert to help us in the future, and new friends. If you want fantastic service and products at a good price from a wonderful human being, visit Alex and Bucephalus Bikes. read more

very friendly, prompt and competitively priced. my new neigborhood bike shop wins my vote.

it gives me great pleasure to recommend the folks at bucephalus bikes. i was referred my a work mate who spoke very highly of the great service he had received there. i have used the other 2 bike shops in evanston and though my experience with pony and turin is mostly positive, i have had just marginal experiences with certain employees at both shops. i wanted to try bucephalus bikes because i thought if they are mainly 'just' a repair shop (they sell new accessories and used bikes), they might work a little harder for my business...i was right. alex could not have been more attentive to me and my high end bikes and i have been very satisfied with the repairs he has preformed thus far. a client of mine has since told me what a great experience she had at bucephalus so i am confident my very positive experience is not a fluke. if you want great service, quality repairs without attitude, TAKE YOUR BIKE TO BUCEPHALUS!!! read more