November 12, 2024
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St. Charles-based The Bike Rack finds another home after buying Oswego Cyclery

By Eric Schelkopf
Hal Honeyman and his family’s business, St. Charles-based The Bike Rack, recently acquired Oswego Cyclery, which had been in business since 2004.

Hal Honeyman and his family’s business, St. Charles-based The Bike Rack, recently acquired Oswego Cyclery, which had been in business since 2004. (Sandy Bressner)

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.

St. Charles-based The Bike Rack, owned by the Honeyman family, recently acquired Oswego Cyclery, which had been in business since 2004.

St. Charles-based The Bike Rack, owned by the Honeyman family, recently acquired Oswego Cyclery, which had been in business since 2004. (Sandy Bressner)

“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, their son, Dane, his sister, Tammy Simmons, and his brother, Lance.

Lance Honeyman (left) and Hal Honeyman and their family’s business, St. Charles-based The Bike Rack, recently acquired Oswego Cyclery, which had been in business since 2004.St. Charles-based The Bike Rack, owned by the Honeyman family, recently acquired Oswego Cyclery, which had been in business since 2004.

Lance Honeyman (left) and Hal Honeyman and their family’s business, St. Charles-based The Bike Rack, recently acquired Oswego Cyclery, which had been in business since 2004. St. Charles-based The Bike Rack, owned by the Honeyman family, recently acquired Oswego Cyclery. (Sandy Bressner)

For those interested in buying a bike from The Bike Rack, the owners will do what they can to meet the customers’ needs. The Bike Rack will do a custom analysis of 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.”

St. Charles-based The Bike Rack, owned by the Honeyman family, recently acquired Oswego Cyclery, which had been in business since 2004.

St. Charles-based The Bike Rack, owned by the Honeyman family, recently acquired Oswego Cyclery, which had been in business since 2004. (Sandy Bressner)

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 said 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 that are modified to fit the needs of an individual rider. Honeyman said the store will schedule appointments for those interested in buying an adaptive bike.

Hal Honeyman and his family’s business, St. Charles-based The Bike Rack, recently acquired Oswego Cyclery, which had been in business since 2004.

Hal Honeyman and his family’s business, St. Charles-based The Bike Rack, recently acquired Oswego Cyclery, which had been in business since 2004. (Sandy Bressner)

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 by his son, Jacob, who was born with cerebral palsy.

Lance Honeyman thinks the Oswego location is a good fit and hopes customers appreciate their experience.

“We’ve been doing it a long time,” he said. “We think it will be a good fit. We like the idea of the bike trail being nearby.”

More information about The Bike Rack is at thebikerack.com.