Sometimes Chris Williams, the head mechanic at Dutch Bike Co., gets distracted at work. But that’s only since his bike shop moved from its old location in Lincoln Park to Damen and Pierce avenues in Wicker Park, where he said there’s always a “cast of characters” hanging around outside. In fact, you can people-watch the folks at Big Star if you stand at the shop’s front window.

Dutch Bike Co., which sells mostly European-made, high-end commuter bikes and has its flagship store in Seattle, opened its Wicker Park location on May 27, much to the delight of its existing fan base who already lived in the area.

Manager Vincent Spina said while Lincoln Park was a good location for the shop to open in 2008 because the area has a higher income base that can afford their bikes, Wicker Park was ultimately where the shop wanted to move because the neighborhood is full of people using bikes as their main form of transportation, and therefore need regular service.

“People will find our bikes no matter what,” Spina said. “People in Wicker Park — there are just far more cyclists, far more people needing work, commuters of all sorts. We wanted to be around people who actually need what we do.”

In addition to the bells and whistles you’d find at any bike shop — seats, reflectors, lights, grips, air pumps, locks, baskets, Bern helmets — Dutch Bike Co. does repairs on-the-fly and comprehensive tune-ups. The shop is not that big, but it’s chock-full of bikes that range in price from $400 to $2,200. About half the stock is Dutch bikes imported from Holland, the rest are hand-built German models and less expensive American bikes made by Linus. They all have a vintage, European flair and are made for commuting and carrying cargo like kids and groceries.

But Dutch Bike Co. doesn’t intend to steal customers from other bike shops in the neighborhood, like Rapid Transit on North Avenue and Copenhagen Cyclery on Milwaukee Avenue, Spina said.

“We don’t consider ourselves the same kind of bike shop,” he said. “Our focus is more on transportation and European-style bikes.”

Samantha Arnold, who blogs on the Chicago biking scene at Ding Ding Let’s Ride!, purchased her first Dutch bike from the shop last year and uses it as her main form of transportation.

“I’m really happy they moved closer to me,” said Arnold, who lives in Ukrainian Village. “It’s a smart move, being close to West Town, Logan Square and Wicker Park.”

Arnold says the neighborhood can support another bike shop because they’re all a little different. “These bikes are not mass-produced,” she said. “They’re small bike shops that each carry different brands of cargo bikes and don’t overlap on European brands. It gives you some variety.”

Spina says he’s seen many of his Lincoln Park customers making the trek to the Wicker Park location to continue receiving service (it’s free for a year if you buy a bike) and the old neighborhood was supportive when they announced their move. Dutch Bike Co.’s Pierce Avenue digs were vacated by the Chicago Artists’ Coalition, which relocated to the West Loop.

Following in the footsteps of the Seattle shop, Chicago’s Dutch Bike Co. plans to open a café in the next year in the space adjacent to the bike shop. It will be a place that bikers can hang out while they wait for repairs, sip coffee or eat outside. Spina says he hopes the café will foster a sense of community among Wicker Park bikers and non-bikers alike.

“One of our interests is to fill the world not necessarily with less cyclists, but more people on bikes.”

Dutch Bike Co.
2010 W. Pierce Ave.
773-697-7618
Hours: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Tues. – Sat. ; noon – 5 p.m. Sun.