St. Charles’ The Bike Rack expands with purchase of Oswego Cyclery
The new owners of Oswego Cyclery in downtown Oswego have a passion for cycling and helping their customers realize their goals.
The Honeyman family, who own St. Charles-based The Bike Rack, recently bought Oswego Cyclery from owner Art Black. The shop, now known as The Bike Rack, is located at 57 Main St.
“We’ve kind of been concentrating on cleaning, organizing and bringing in new products,” said Hal Honeyman, one of the owners of The Bike Rack.
The Bike Rack has been in business for almost 50 years. Honeyman owns The Bike Rack with his mother, Nancy, his wife, Julie and their son, Dane, his sister, Tammy Simmons and his brother, Lance.
For those interested in buying a bike from The Bike Rack, the owners will do what they can to meet their needs. The Bike Rack will do a custom analysis of their rider biomechanics and movement through the use of high-speed video and pressure mapping.
“If they’ve had an injury, a lot of times we can address their problems,” Honeyman said. “Or we can make them faster or stronger.”
Honeyman likes the small-town feel of Oswego’s downtown.
“It kind of reminded me of St. Charles a few years back,” he said. “It’s just a very close-knit community that kind of aligns with our values. We felt we would be a good fit.”
It also helps that the Fox River Trail, which is largely in Kane County, ends in Oswego. The shop is located near the Fox River Trail and the Fox River.
Honeyman also noted the Oswegoland Park District’s Saw Wee Kee Park in Yorkville offers “some of the best off-road riding in this immediate area.”
“It is pretty challenging off-road terrain,” he said. “Between now and spring, we’ll get a few bikes put into our stock that people can take out and try on the trails. There’s just a lot opportunity here, I think.”
The Bike Rack also sells adaptive bikes modified to fit the needs of an individual rider. Honeyman said the store will schedule appointments for those interested in buying an adaptive bike.
Honeyman founded the nonprofit organization Project Mobility. The group’s mission is to provide children, adults and wounded soldiers with disabilities with adaptive bikes.
His interest in adaptive cycling was spurred on by his son, Jacob, who was born with cerebral palsy.
Lance Honeyman thinks the Oswego location is a good fit and he hopes customers appreciate their experience.
“We’ve been doing it a long time,” he noted. “We think it will be a good fit. We like the idea of the bike trail being nearby.”
For more information about The Bike Rack, visit thebikerack.com.