Hi
I am thinking about going to the Perfomance Bike in Schaumburg. How is the store? I want to check it out while we are driving that way but I want to make sure it is worth stopping in. Thanks

Wait for Psimet to drop in with the particulars of the Schaumburg store. My experience with Perfromance in general is that it is a great store for basics: clothing, tubes, tools, etc. They are always on sale, and I mean always.
Would I buy a bike there? It depends. If you know what you want, you may be able to get a great deal. If not, you may be better off at a *real* LBS
Duppie

Great store. One of the newer Performance setups so all of the fixtures are new and the store still looks fresh. Cheerful staff.....that knows just about nothing. I wouldn't listen to any advice they give.

...but as always they have a ton of great stuff for great value if you know what to look for.

I would definitely stop in if I were you.

If you;re coming through I would probably stop at other stores as well if you have the time. Esp. the slew that just went in to St Charles.

Great thanks! I am hoping the roads are going to be decent Saturday so I can check it out.

There is a boat load of shops in the greater Chicago area. Be sure to check out more than one. Well worth your time. Give out an approximate route and we can start throwing ideas down.

Also if you are heading through town and out the West side on Saturday you might be able to hook up with a few of us for a ride. Just a thought.

The wife wants to do some shopping at Ikea in Schaumburg so I figured that if she was dragging me around there then I can drag her into Performance Bike. We live near Grand Rapids MI so I am guessing we will get to a few stores to keep her happy and the bike shop to make it worth me going:D. I think we are going to make a day trip out of it so if there are any other must-visit shops I would love to see if we can squeeze them in too.
Thanks

Ikea will take you the whole day. You're screwed.

Ikea will take you the whole day. You're screwed.

Went with my wife, took about an hour or 2 to go through. She was not impressed.

If you're close to Schaumburg, then by all means give the Performance a shot. If you're closer to Naperville or the one in Lake County, go there.

As I'm in Kane County, my trips into Cook County will be curbed because of the inane sales tax that's about to jump another 1.25% due to the idiot Todd Stroger. I'm not sure what that pushes Schaumburg's sales tax to, but I think it might be 10% or higher (in Chicago it will be 10.25%.... that's crazy).

I was at Performance in Naperville today (I work close enough for a lunchtime jaunt). They are always good about making sure to at the very least match the website's prices. I think the sales tax was 7.something%, if I'm recalling correctly. If you're spending big bucks on a bike or a lot of stuff, that's 3% back compared to Strogerland, so could be worth the extra mileage to escape Cook County. Just food for thought.

Anyway, that's just me ranting and doesn't say a lot about Performance in Schaumburg. I'm sure they're good folks.

I agree with duppie and Psimet. If you know what you're getting, they have great prices. I try to hit the "special" sales...20% back to members, or shop at lunch on Tuesdays in the Chicago location if I need anything. I go to the one in Northbrook most of the time. It's like a bike shop version of Cheers.

The wife wants to do some shopping at Ikea in Schaumburg so I figured that if she was dragging me around there then I can drag her into Performance Bike. We live near Grand Rapids MI so I am guessing we will get to a few stores to keep her happy and the bike shop to make it worth me going:D. I think we are going to make a day trip out of it so if there are any other must-visit shops I would love to see if we can squeeze them in too.
Thanks

Bring your bike. Drop your wife off at Ikea. Drive about 1/2 a mile east on Golf Road to Busse Woods forest preserve. They have a 8 or 9 mile bike loop that will be devoid of the usual summertime walkers, dog-walkers, and Jimmy Walkers sipping fake Johnny Walker out of paper sacks.

At the southeast end of the path (the corner of Higgins and Arlington Heights) you can cross over to check out Village Cycle Sport's Elk Grove Village shop.

Busse Woods info: http://www.fpdcc.com/tier3.php?content_id=36&file=rec_36b

Village Cycle Sport: http://villagecyclesport.com/

i gatta say i did like performance for clothing untill i found out 5 min from my house in aurora is a pearl izumi outlet store... i was in heaven lol. so now idk no reason for me to hit performance, psi whats this store you speak of in st charles

i gatta say i did like performance for clothing untill i found out 5 min from my house in aurora is a pearl izumi outlet store... i was in heaven lol. so now idk no reason for me to hit performance, psi whats this store you speak of in st charles

Heading up the river from Aurora you have the following:

Pedal and Spoke in N. Aurora
Prarie Path in Batavia
Mill Race Cyclery in Batavia
Sammy's Bike Shop in St Charles
The Bike Shop (of Glenn Ellyn fame now in ) St. Charles <---great shop. Check it out
Bicycle Heaven (new location is about 99% setup, just waiting on the signs and awnings) St. Charles<---great shop. Check it out
The Bike Rack in St Charles
Village Peddler in South Elgin

Bring your bike. Drop your wife off at Ikea. Drive about 1/2 a mile east on Golf Road to Busse Woods forest preserve. They have a 8 or 9 mile bike loop that will be devoid of the usual summertime walkers, dog-walkers, and Jimmy Walkers sipping fake Johnny Walker out of paper sacks.

At the southeast end of the path (the corner of Higgins and Arlington Heights) you can cross over to check out Village Cycle Sport's Elk Grove Village shop.

Busse Woods info: http://www.fpdcc.com/tier3.php?content_id=36&file=rec_36b

Village Cycle Sport: http://villagecyclesport.com/

+1 on Busse Woods, it's a great place to exercise. I'd skip Village Cycle Sport though. They don't have anything there you can't get anywhere else, including bad service.

+1 on Busse Woods, it's a great place to exercise. I'd skip Village Cycle Sport though. They don't have anything there you can't get anywhere else, including bad service.

Performance bikes does not carry Trek or Obea to name a few and you can get these at Village Cycle. Been to both Perf Bikes (Schaumburg and Aurora) and they are fine. However, I bought my bike at Village Cycle and have been very happy with the service. My new bike would not shift right and they kept adjusting it. Finally, the owner saw me in his store for yet another adjustment when he asked what's up. I told him I had issues since I bought the bike. He asked me to leave the bike. He ordered a new crank set (Trek switched from Bontrager to Shimano on that model during the year so needed a bunch of parts to get to all Shimano). This included the chain rings, bottom bracket and crank arms and replaced them at no charge.

Performance bikes does not carry Trek or Obea to name a few and you can get these at Village Cycle. Been to both Perf Bikes (Schaumburg and Aurora) and they are fine. However, I bought my bike at Village Cycle and have been very happy with the service. My new bike would not shift right and they kept adjusting it. Finally, the owner saw me in his store for yet another adjustment when he asked what's up. I told him I had issues since I bought the bike. He asked me to leave the bike. He ordered a new crank set (Trek switched from Bontrager to Shimano on that model during the year so needed a bunch of parts to get to all Shimano). This included the chain rings, bottom bracket and crank arms and replaced them at no charge.

You got much better service than I did. So you might be happy with your service there, but I'd be nervous with trusting them with anything as expensive and complicated as a new bicycle after the way they screwed up something as simple as the part I bought from them. I went in there wanting to find a LBS to deal with when I resumed bicycling again, and left realizing that I needed to keep looking. I needed a replacement seat post, and took the old one there so they could recommend a different one. They measured the one I was using 3 times, using a micrometer. The manager measured it once after the mechanic measured it twice, so I figured they got the size right. They didn't have the size I needed, so I paid for it and asked them to call me when it came in. That doesn't sound to hard does it? I called them a few days after the day they told me the new part was to be delivered, and was told "it's here, but we were too busy to call you". Then I got the new post stuck, and called to see if they could help me out here. They said bring it, and we'll take a look at it. Another few days went by after that, and I went in to see what was going on. They told me they took a quick look at it, and didn't do anything else. So I got their seatpost removed somewhere else, and found a shop that had the part I needed in stock (the Bicycle Connection in Schaumburg) - who also pointed out that the size of the first seatpost was marked on the lower portion, just like it is on others.

So after finding out they couldn't correctly measure a part that had the size stamped on it and they were too busy to call twice I figured I'd be happier if I went elsewhere. And I have been. Village Cycle could have done more to chase away a new customer who's new to the sport their business is based on and looking for a local business to patronize, but they would have had to really try.

Most any shop will have its bone heads. Even good people screw up from time to time. My family has bought nearly 20 bikes from village cycle. Granted most of them were close to 15 yrs ago. Vince, the store mgr, still works there though and he is a very nice guy. He remembers his customers and knows the importance of providing good service. He'll take care of you. I can't vouch for the rest of the people there but that is because I don't know them.

pearl izumi outlet store...

where where where?!!!!:eek:

where where where?!!!!:eek:

The Aurora Outlet Mall at I-88 and Farnsworth. (I think it's Farnsworth there, right? It's Kirk Road to the north of there)

The Aurora Outlet Mall at I-88 and Farnsworth. (I think it's Farnsworth there, right? It's Kirk Road to the north of there)

wow thanks!!, next rainy weekend I'm there:D

Stopped in the PI Outlet store about 3 weeks ago...nice place. Will be making another jaunt there this coming weekend.

The Aurora Outlet Mall at I-88 and Farnsworth. (I think it's Farnsworth there, right? It's Kirk Road to the north of there)

Checky, check check. Farnsworth and 88.




Werd.

Most any shop will have its bone heads. Even good people screw up from time to time. My family has bought nearly 20 bikes from village cycle. Granted most of them were close to 15 yrs ago. Vince, the store mgr, still works there though and he is a very nice guy. He remembers his customers and knows the importance of providing good service. He'll take care of you. I can't vouch for the rest of the people there but that is because I don't know them.

Eh, I ended up at the Bicycle Connection in Schaumburg, and they said they help a lot of people out who got annoyed with Village. Since then Performance has opened in Schaumburg, and Campbell street bikes opened in Arlington Heights. That gives me three other stores to shop at, and I've bought quality products at decent prices from people who know what they're doing and provide good customer service at all three. Those are enough good choices for me to keep me from going back and giving Village a third choice.

I hear you. I'm not trying to say it is certainly a better shop because I haven't been to the others you mentioned. Just sharing my experience. I will say that I always take with a grain of salt any statements from one company about their competitor. There is actually a lot more rivalry between shops than I would have thought. I bought my 03 s-works epic from the schaumburg bicycle and choo choo connection at a great price because I knew someone who worked there and they made it quite clear what they thought of village cycle sport. Of course the village cycle sport guys made similar remarks when they found out where I got my new bike from...

At the end of the day I am just very happy that we have many choices around here and that there is no reason we shouldn't be able to find the service that we expect. Competition is a good thing.

Be aware that Mission Bay moved from Elgin to Arlington Heights and is located within a mile or so of Campbell Street Bikes as well. Just another option.

Be aware that Mission Bay moved from Elgin to Arlington Heights and is located within a mile or so of Campbell Street Bikes as well. Just another option.

Yeah, I'm really lucky with all the choices I have in this area, and have worked in enough small businesses to appreciate that kind of rivalry. I've riden BMW motorcycles for about 20 years now, and the closet dealer is about 45 minutes away up in Barrington. Expensive parts and limited service time means even do it yourself maintenance requires the long drive to the dealer and back (or waiting for the UPS delivery), and BMW really frowns on folks doing their own work anymore. So I was really pleased to find all these good choices that were much closer to home when I resumed bicycling, even if I did make a few bad choices in the beginning.

If you're close to Schaumburg, then by all means give the Performance a shot. If you're closer to Naperville or the one in Lake County, go there.

As I'm in Kane County, my trips into Cook County will be curbed because of the inane sales tax that's about to jump another 1.25% due to the idiot Todd Stroger. I'm not sure what that pushes Schaumburg's sales tax to, but I think it might be 10% or higher (in Chicago it will be 10.25%.... that's crazy).


Unfortunately the Performance in Northbrook is in Cook County as it is a few blocks south of Lake-Cook road.
However, if you buy online and ship to the store I think they just collect 6.25% Illinois sales tax. I too am boycotting Crook County and Todd "the tumor" Stroger. I call him the tumor because he is a useless lump of cells destroying everything in his path.

you guys seem to recommend them for accessories, how about a full bike? i'm looking at a fuji bike, which is on sale till tomorrow. i was a little nervous because it seemed too good to be true. 30% off retail, unlimited tune-ups including wheel truing, and guaranteed satisfaction on the bike or i can return it for full value as refund or credit towards another bike, provided its in good condition (no time limit on that). I'll have to see the guarantee in writing...

Performance's guarantee is a reliable guarantee. I've returned things to one of the Performance stores for exchange or refund with no questions asked. Even things that I bought via the website.

I think Psimet bought a few bikes from Performance, if I'm not mistaken. He'll be able to fill you.

Oh yeah, don't worry about pulling the trigger on the bike. It will be on sale again, usually sooner rather than later.

+1 to what Cy said. I have bought 2 rigs from performance.....my 2 main rigs. My Giant TCR (back when Performance was a Giant distributor) and I bought a Fuji Cross Pro during Christmas for commuting.

If the price is good for you and the bike fits then just fire and forget. Can't go wrong.

As Cy mentioned though don't let the "sale" fool you. Everything is always on "sale". May take a few weeks to come back around and it may not be the same price again, but it will be on sale again.

Also keep in mind a 20% coupon or double points comes around as well (haven't seen 20% in a while though.....).

Also keep in mind a 20% coupon or double points comes around as well (haven't seen 20% in a while though.....).

I just used a 20% coupon today to discount further an already-on-sale Ultegra cassette. The coupon was on a mailer and was good for in-store only through 5/20.

I asked Bob (I think it was Bob... the guy with the beard at the Naperville store) if the coupon was good to tack onto the Tuesday 10% lunchtime discount and he said no. They were apparently getting in trouble for double-dipping the coupons. Good thing today is a Monday then. :D

I just used a 20% coupon today to discount further an already-on-sale Ultegra cassette. The coupon was on a mailer and was good for in-store only through 5/20.

I asked Bob (I think it was Bob... the guy with the beard at the Naperville store) if the coupon was good to tack onto the Tuesday 10% lunchtime discount and he said no. They were apparently getting in trouble for double-dipping the coupons. Good thing today is a Monday then. :D

Ahhh...Bob. Looks identical to my high school physics professor. 100% identical.

Still waiting for him to come over and inform me that velocity is a vector while I'm looking at computers.

thanks for the info :)
... I bought a Fuji Cross Pro during Christmas for commuting.
how do you like it? how big of a tire do you think would fit? thats the bike i rode in a 49cm which seemed an ok fit for me. I may go back and have them order a 49cm cross comp for me. I'm not sure the cross pro is worth the extra money for my newb use and the components are already great for the price (same frame dimensions i think). We didnt really go into fitment aside from being able to stand over the bike and being able to see the front hub when in the drop bars. In the store i could see the whole hub, he suggested a longer stem.

once i was outside riding it was better though, the hand position on the hoods seemed like a good distance away. my wrists were uncomfortable in the drops but i think my hand position was poor (first time ever with those kind of bars) and we didnt adjust the seat either (seemed within the ballpark). the front tire did rub my toes on a low speed turn, might have just been my street shoes? or an unavoidable symptom of the really small frame and big wheels.

I'm gonna try another local store tonight for some different brands (if they have my midget size) and if not, probably go back and get the cross comp.

The sales at Performance can be confusing, but there seems to be a bottom price on current models. No sale seems to go below that. For example: full price of bike: $500. One week it is on sale for $449. You get a flyer in the mail promising 10% off all bikes. You go to the store only to find that the price is back to $500
(This example is made up, but you get the point)
They also have a 30 day price guarantee, so you may point out that the bike last week was $449 and they may give you 10% off that, but that seems to depend on who you ask

Oh, and if you buy a bike in the price range of the fuji cross comp make sure to join their club. You get 10% back on everything
Duppie

i went back tonight and they were quite helpful. i ordered the fuji cross comp and joined the club, thanks for the tip.

I love my Fuji Cross.

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/2364/fujicrossprofm6.jpg

I was trying to build up a cross bike this winter that I would be able to commute on and then strip down and race in the fall. I put some serious time into it and really priced some stuff out. All of the builds I was coming up with were in the $1,000 -$1,200 range and that was just barely with 105 components (a minimum per me).

I walked into Performance and I just happened to see the Cross Pro on a display rack near the back. I did a double take. I did a quick once-over and pulled the price tag - $1300. Full Ultegra (sans cross crank) with DA RD.

I already knew I would use the DA RD on my road rig and put my Ultegra on the cross bike. They say to size down with cross bikes, but I actually sized up. I normally ride a "S", or 52 (but I should be riding a 53-54). I picked a 54. I am happy with the size, although I could have gone smaller and had more clearance for dismounting, etc. for cross racing.

We'll see. 49 sounds small. I am hoping your are smaller than I (I am 5'8" but with a super long torso).

+1 on the double-take.

They have to special order my size in the cross comp from another non-PB store (PB and fuji warehouses are out of stock in 49) so i'm paying a little extra to have it shipped. now i'm wondering if i should have just taken the pro for an extra $260. it was noticably lighter than the comp, the bang for the buck is the same if not better, and its already at the store. i like the colors more too... damnit. but i don't need the pro, right? where does the line get crossed for a fred? :P

I'm 5'5" with somewhat short legs. I talked with Keith (?, schaumburg store) at PB about the sizing, he watched me ride the 49 outside and thought that was the one. Riding them back to back, 49 felt better. The 52 felt twitchy in the steering (stretching too far?).

Keith is the store manager I believe. Meh. Go with the pro. No question.

You should not have to pay for them to ship between stores. Period. I never have before.

Go with the pro. No question.
:innocent: :D

:notamused:

So I was pleased to see this store open, since I live 5 minutes from this location by car, maybe 15 a-cycleback. I had been to the Northbrook location a few times, and was impressed with the amount of stuff available there.

Performance had a Schwinn Le Tour Ultra 2 for sale which was just up my alley; considered the fastback CX cyclocross-ish bike, but the Le Tour was a great deal. Unfortunately, the store (needless to say) didn't have stock on the bike, so they had it shipped from Scottsdale. They would call next day to give me an ETA.

After two days, I called myself. It would arrive "in a few days" they told me. I figured a week, but ok.

After a week of hearing nothing, I called the store again. Much rummaging around. The bike was in transit, and would arrive in the legendary "a few days".

A week later, I then appeared at the store in person. Larry, the manager there, took the time to run the thing down; nobody seemed to know where the bike was, it wasn't in inventory. He actually got on the phone to another store that appeared to have stock on it to get it sent from there, when the Scottsdale store called up - the barcode label got messed up somehow and it was returned by FedEx. Larry told me that their management was putting the kibosh on inter-store transfers because of exactly this kind of incident.

A week after that, the bike finally appeared.

I wasn't in a tremendous hurry on the delivery, since I had been on my old Lotus Challenger for 22 years, but the lack of communication there was very frustrating. When I drop $1K+ on something, I expect a certain minimum service level. I don't blame the store for the FedEx thing, but somebody should be running down orders in transit. If I had gotten this thing via the website, I would have had it a week earlier at least and been able to track the order myself. I'm trying to help the store out by having them get the sale, and I'm not feeling that I'm getting the love in return.

That said, with the summer season, they seem to be busier than all hell on the weekends; maybe they need to put on some more staff.

slyborg - My friend was just looking for a bike but it was hard to get him to spend much. He initially thought $500 at walmart would do the trick. Pretty oblivious to bike stuff obviously. Anyway after testing some higher end bikes he could finally tell some difference but didn't want to spend more than like $1500. He really wanted all carbon but I didn't think we'd find that because I was just as concerned about components. Then I found the same schwinn le tour ultra 2 with ultegra components and carbon frame for $1699 at performance. That was already 30% off but then he got another 10% off as the store honored a coupon (that they didn't have to) and then on top of that he became a member to get an additional 10% back. That makes it somewhere around probably 43% off retail which is outstanding. It took 2 weeks to get the bike but he is very happy and I don't think we could have done better for the price. Even used carbon bikes with ultegra sell for that or more.
I bought my 2008 specialized tarmac pro used for 24% under new retail. Mine was a fair deal. We got him an outstanding one.

Whatever you do, don't visit the Sacramento store in CA. A couple of them are pricks and have no sense of what "customer service" means. I'd pass up a huge deal for the sake of not making a purchase in their store.