Chicago Winter Bike Swap coming to Kane County Fairgrounds next month

More people have taken up the sport of cycling since the start of the pandemic.

“It was one of the activities that you could do that was safe,” said Hal Honeyman, one of the owners of The Bike Rack in St. Charles. “More people are riding bikes than ever before.”

Next month, Honeyman will bring the Chicago Winter Bike Swap to its new location, the Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles. Honeyman along with his wife, Julie and their son, Dane, took over the Bike Swap from a person who had previously run it at Harper College.

The Chicago Winter Bike Swap will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Kane County Fairgrounds, 525 S. Randall Road, St. Charles. Admission is $5 for adults and children age 12 and under are free.

Parking is free. For everyone’s health and safety, all vendors and attendees will be required to wear masks.

The event will offer more space inside the Prairie Events Center at the Kane County Fairgrounds compared to its previous location, Harper College.

“We actually bought it a couple of years ago and ran it the first year at Harper College,” Honeyman said. “It was very successful and then we planned to move it to Kane County Fairgrounds, but had to cancel last year because of COVID-19. This year we’re going to go ahead with it, unless things change and we can’t do it.”

The Bike Rack had been a regular participant in the Chicago Winter Bike Swap. The event in February 2020 featured about 100 vendors and attracted about 2,000 people.

Besides bicycles and parts being for sale at the Chicago Winter Bike Swap, the event will also feature an indoor track, seminars and educational events.

“We’re going to do a bike maintenance clinic and a variety of things that will be of interest to a lot of different people,” Honeyman said.

Food and beverages also will be available for purchase. St. Charles-based D and G Brewing and St. Charles-based Arcedium Coffeehouse will be at the event along with Chuck’s Wood Fired Pizza.

In addition, local musician Jake Mack will perform in the food court.

Fox Valley Bike and Ski Club, which will participate in the event, will also host a 20-mile ride on the Great Western Trail at 8:30 a.m. that day.

“People are welcome to bring out any kind of bike they feel comfortable riding, based on the conditions,” Honeyman said. “That time of year, it’s anything goes.”

His nonprofit organization, Project Mobility, will be at the event with more than 30 adaptive trikes to ride and to do evaluations of your special cycling needs. Project Mobility’s mission is to provide children, adults and wounded soldiers with disabilities with adaptive bikes.

Honeyman founded Project Mobility. His interest in adaptive cycling was spurred on by his son, Jacob, who was born with cerebral palsy. An adaptive bicycle can cost up to $5,000.

More information about the Chicago Winter Bike Swap is available at its website, chicagowinterbikeswap.com.