Owners of The Bike Lane talk about the monthly Critical Mass bike ride through the streets of Chicago.
By Courtney Sturgeon and Trish Donovan
Any cyclists stranded by a flat tire while riding in Chicago can rest assured that help is now just a phone call away.
Max Hertz, Adam Glenn or Jon Timmins, the owners of the new “The Bike Lane” on 2130 Milwaukee Ave, will ride to where cyclists are stranded as part of their “Fix a Flat on the Fly” services.
“Our ‘Fix a Flat on the Fly’ service is kind of like AAA for your bike, our version of roadside assistance,” said Hertz, 23. “We have several unique services that aren’t offered anywhere else.”
Service such as the fixing flats helps set “The Bike Lane,” which opened May 22, apart from competitors. The store says it offers custom upgrades or conversions for customers, along with its friendly customer service.
“We’re just trying to make our store an open and friendly environment that people will want to come to,” Hertz said. “A lot of bike shops are very elitist, very off putting to people, there’s really no customer loyalty.”
“Come here because you want to not because you have to.”
Despite the tough economy, these three entrepreneurs are finding that the up-and-coming neighborhood of Logan Square has been very receptive of their business venture.
“The majority of people can’t buy cars that are fuel-efficient so a bike is definitely the way to go for a majority of people,” Hertz said.
Interactive Map: The Bike Lane and various other cycling and running-related organizations and events around Chicago:
Customers will find it easy to visit the store, not just because of the service, but because it is located directly on Milwaukee Avenue. In fact, the store is the only bike store for four miles on one of the busiest streets for cyclists in the city.
A cyclist rides down the bike lane located in front of the new bicycle shop on Milwaukee Avenue. (Photo by Trish Donovan)
Milwaukee Avenue, which extends from downtown to the far north and northwest suburbs, is a main route of transportation for commuters. This is especially true for cyclists, because the street has a dedicated bike lane.
“For people who are commuting downtown via Milwaukee, it’s easier for them to stop at our shop rather than go out of their way when they’re trying to get somewhere and travel off the route that they’re already on,” Hertz said.
Added Glenn, 23, “As opposed to Clybourn or Halsted or those other diagonal streets that will get those same neighborhoods downtown but they do not have bike lanes … It’s a lot more dangerous to ride, the streets aren’t in as good of condition as Milwaukee Avenue.”
The store’s Milwaukee Avenue address might have been a key factor in its success the first week of business.
“We’ve been surprised everyday,” Hertz said. “Business has been growing every single day, we’ve had customers in here at all times of days, we’ve had some big rushes.”
Jon Timmins works in the service area of the shop. (Photo by Trish Donovan)
Said Glenn, “With the amount of advertising which we’ve done, which is minimal compared to most traditional businesses, we’ve got a ton of people coming.”
The store has been a long-time dream of the threesome, since they’re all avid bike riders. Glenn says he puts about 40,000 miles on his bike every year.
“I sold my car many years ago when I moved to the city,” said Glenn. “My bike is my one and only means of transportation.”
Max Hertz conducts business over the phone. A dollar bill from the first sale at “The Bike Lane” hangs behind him. (Photo by Courtney Sturgeon)
Promoting bike riding, as opposed to other modes of transportation, has been an ongoing effort of “The Bike Lane” as well as the City of Chicago. “Bicycling Magazine” ranked Chicago 10th on “America’s Best Cities for Bike Riding” list for 2010.
The City of Chicago boasts more than 160 miles of bike lanes and paths and more than 12,000 bike racks, according to the city’s site. More than 100 biking events will take place this spring and summer around the city, including; Bike the Drive, The L.A.T.E. Ride, the Boulevard Lakefront Tour, the Chicago Marathon and Critical Mass.
Critical Mass cyclists ride down Lake Shore Drive from Belmont to Fullerton just one day before Bike the Drive took place. (Photo by Trish Donovan)
Critical Mass is a bike ride in Chicago that begins in Daley Plaza around 6 p.m. on the last Friday of every month. Although the route these cyclists take is different every time, the end point is usually an opportunity to meet with other riders.
This past Critical Mass on May 28 took off from Daley Plaza with well over 1,000 people in attendance. The cyclists rode all over the city, from U.S. Cellular Field to the intersection of North and Clybourn, and Clark Street into Lakeview.
The route ended as cyclists rode on to Lake Shore Drive at Belmont, just one day before Bike the Drive took place, and exited at Fullerton.
Critical Mass cyclists congregate at the intersection of North Avenue and LaSalle Street. (Photo by Trish Donovan)
