Fix your own bike
Rent a stand for $10 an hour and use any tool in the shop. A mechanic is always on the floor to answer questions, show you the move, and stop you before you round off a bolt.
Community bike shop · Chicago
A community bike repair pop-up where you fix your own bike, and we show you how.
Bring in the bike that has been flat in your hallway since spring. We will hand you the right tool, put it on a stand, and stand next to you while you fix it. Most repairs cost less than a tank of gas, and if money is the problem, say so — we will work it out.
Three ways to use the shop
Buy a refurbished bike
Every bike on our floor was donated, stripped, rebuilt, and test ridden by a volunteer. Prices run from $65 for a kid's bike to about $300 for a nice vintage road bike.
Learn to wrench
Volunteer with us and we will teach you the trade from the ground up, starting with tubes and cables. No experience required, and no, you do not have to already know how bikes work.
Bikes on the floor right now
See all bikes →
On hold
1983 Schwinn Le Tour
$295
Lugged steel frame in original blue paint. Rebuilt wheels, new cables and housing, used tires. Friction shifting, which takes about ten minutes to learn and then lasts forever.
On hold
1978 Raleigh Sprite
$180
Upright English three-speed with a rebuilt Sturmey-Archer hub. Fenders and a rear rack included. Heavy, unkillable, deeply pleasant to ride.
On hold
1996 Trek 820
$165
Rigid mountain bike converted to a commuter with swept-back bars and city tires. New brake pads and a fresh drivetrain. Good gravel bike.
What we are, briefly
Imaginal Cycles is a project of Lindblom Math and Science Academy and Children First Fund a 501c3 non-profit organization. We are not a bike store that lets you borrow tools. We are a workshop that belongs to the neighborhood, run by people who would rather teach you to fix a flat than charge you for it.
Keep the stands full
We charge what people can pay, which means donations cover the gap between our rent and our reality. $25 buys a case of tubes. $100 keeps the lights on for a night.