Dean Ames of Elgin elected to take a trip to St. Charles on Sunday due to something he calls “an intermittent interest” of his.
“I’m somewhat into cycling. I have two bikes – one a mountain bike, and one a road bike – and I came to this show last year,” Ames said as he looked over a rack of bikes at the Chicago Winter Bike Swap at the Kane County Fairgrounds. “I like the one-stop shop and the community here. There are a lot of like-minded people and last year I went away with some pedals.”
The show on Sunday featured close to 90 vendors offering everything from bikes for tikes to the latest electric models that are among the hottest products today.
The 4½-hour show also included information about bike clubs, repairs and a “corral” where those in attendance could park a bike they were looking to trade or sell.
Hal Honeyman, 67, of St. Charles, said he is one of the founders of the event. He said it has been around for about two decades and used to he held at Harper College in Palatine.
“We took it over five years ago. We had it one year at Harper and then we found the fairgrounds as a venue,” he said before the event. “We usually get 2,000 people in one day but we think this year based on social media and other feedback that it might be 3,000.”
He said a lot of people fell in love with bicycling during the pandemic.
“There was a lot of interest in biking during COVID … and we’ve found its carried over,” he said. “People are looking for ways to commute to work and the e-bikes out there help as well as for people who are older and might not have as much power.”
Honeyman said the Chicago Winter Bike Swap offers a lot of things of interest for bicycle lovers.
“We have individuals with tables, bikes shops, companies displaying their goods and a bike corral where you can bring your bike for $15 and put it up for sale,” he said. “You can hang out with the bike or put your name and number with the bike and have people call you.”
Jim Krause of Elburn elected to bring in an old bike and said he was looking to sell something “I bought for my son some years ago.”
“The frame was a little bit too big at one time, and it has been used and I hate to part with it as it has been a nice bike, but someone has to get some use out of it. It’s a nice bike,” Krause said. “My wife Cindy is going to babysit the bike and we’re going to look around and see what else is in the show.”
Vendors like Laura Kauth of Elk Grove, who serves as the manager for 7 Mile Cycles, said the shop has been part of the show since it was located in Palatine.
“We know that attendance is supposed to be up,” she said. “We have accessories, clothing, pumps. We have seen a boost since COVID and it has carried through to the accessories you need to ride your bike.”
Manuel Mendoza of Elgin was seen walking away with a new purple bike which he said he would be using “for work and for working out.”
“I knew what I wanted and didn’t really go to a lot of vendors,” Mendoza explained, adding that he really liked the color of his bike. “I do see a lot more people biking. I like this brand and think it’s the best. I got a bike rack on my truck so it won’t be hard getting this home.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
