The start of spring may still be weeks away, but biking enthusiasts like Aras Tijunelis are getting ready to hit the trails again once the weather gets a bit warmer.
“I’m the slowest rider of the Libertyville Lifestyle Cycling Club,” Tijunelis said as he prepared to test out a new bike he was looking to buy during the 16th annual Chicago Winter Bike Swap at the Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles on Sunday. “I’ve come to this show for several years and seven years ago I bought my first bike here. I got a great deal back then.”
Hundreds descended upon the Kane County Fairgrounds for the event, which included 80 to 100 vendors.
According to co-organizer Dane Honeyman, products and services at the event included “riding clubs out advocating for their group and the year to come, bike shops clearing out old inventory and collectors offering vintage parts and things like that.”
“We moved the show to St. Charles the same year that COVID broke out and, of course, then had to cancel it, but we‘ve had it here ever since,” he said. “As far as this show goes we run the gamut. In terms of anything bike-related, it will be here.”
Honeyman said the popularity of e-bikes keeps growing.
“We do have an e-bike specific vendor here and we are seeing more interest in those,” he said. “Most of the people that come to this are cyclists looking to plan out their year ahead. We see parents looking for a good deal on a kid bike but the largest contingency is regular bikers as this is a good opportunity to get things discounted.”
Advocacy groups were present at the event including Ride Illinois, a non-profit state of Illinois group.
Dave Simmons was representing Ride Illinois at the bike swap and said the group wants to be at events like the one Sunday.
“It’s important to have a presence here because advocacy isn’t necessarily something people think about off the top of their heads,” he said. “A lot of the people that come out today are looking for deals, but while they are out here we can talk about things like our upcoming summit in Springfield and some of the bills we have recently introduced including the definition of a bicycle which the vehicle code currently says has two wheels. We’re looking at including tricycles.”
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Ruth Gray of Des Plaines was looking for buy some equipment at the bike swap and said she currently rides “not as many miles as I would like.”
“I came last year and I bought my husband a bike,” she said. “For me, this year I’m just trying to get some tires. I also need a bike lock. I come here instead of a bike shop because there is a variety of things and you can get a lot of good deals.”
Will Garcia of Tinley Park was also looking for parts at the event and was seen carrying two new rims and tires.
“I needed these for a fixed-gear bike,” Garcia explained. “I’m pretty mechanical and work on bikes myself. I started riding seriously five years ago and I try to ride as much as I can. I came out here because the prices are better and I often can’t find what I need at a bike shop.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.