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Ellis Giannini and his business
manager Susan Rosenstein of Geneva, assist
Rebekah Tokarz of Wheaton and he mother Susan
Tokarz of Cary in finding the perfect bike for
Rebekah.
Both women say they have easy-access to the Fox
River trail system. |
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| Bike
Sales, Rentals, and/or Service |
Antioch Schwinn Cyclery
890 Main St., Antioch, IL
847-395-6500
B & G Cyclery
11 E. Rollins Rd., Round Lake
Beach 847-740-0007
Bicycle Garage
11 Jackson St., East Dundee, IL
847-428-2600
Bicycle Heaven
124 W. State St., Geneva
630-444-7450
Bikes Plus
203 W. Northwest Hwy, Barrington
847-382-9200
The Bike Rack
2930 Campton Hills Rd., St.
Charles 800-711-2453
Crystal Lake Ski & Bike
905 A Pyott Rd., Crystal Lake
815-455-5450
Geneva Cycle Shop
12 E. State St., Geneva
630-232-4883
K & D Bicycle Repair
3202 Debra Dr., Island Lake
847-845-1719
Lucky Brake
470 W. Virginia, Crystal Lake
815-459-1833
Main Street Bicycles
39 E. Main St., Carpentersville 847-783-0362
Mill Race Cyclery
11 E. State St., Geneva
630-232-2833
Mission Bay Multisport
1110 South St., Elgin
847-888-3340
Mudslingers
420 W. Rt. 34, Unit 1, Plano 630-552-7433
Oswego Cycling & Running
26 Main St., Oswego
630-551-2300
Paddle and Trail of Aurora
107 Spruce St., Aurora
630-506-5706
Pedal & Spoke
157 S. Lincolnway, North Aurora
630-892-1010
Prairie Path Cycle & Fitness
122 W. Wilson St., Batavia
630-406-9749
Prairie Trail Bike Shop
315 Railroad St., Algonquin
847-658-1154
Village CycleSport
203 W. Northwest Hwy.,
Barrington 847-382-9200
The Village Pedaler
1954 Gyorr Ave., Elgin
847-741-5938
Wally's Bike Haven
2908 W. Route 120, McHenry
815-385-4642
Wonder Lake Bicycle
4308 East Drive, Wonder Lake 815-653-9904 |
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| The Fox River watershed
includes miles and miles of excellent bike
trails and biking opportunities. |
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| Below is
an article from The Guide about the Fox River
trails. |
| Riding the Fox River Trail
System: 30 years of scenic biking |
If you give people a good place
to ride, they’ll buy a bike.
So says Ellis Giannini, the owner of the Geneva
Cycle Shop at 12 E. State St., Geneva. Giannini
is happy that Geneva, and the other
municipalities and park and forest preserve
districts along the Fox River from Algonquin to
Oswego, have invested in bike/pedestrian trails
that give local and out of the area bicyclers a
lot of “good places to ride.”
“The network of paths in Kane County have made
this area one of the most bicycle friendly
places in the country,” he says. “Putting in
the bike trails is one of the best things ever
done here. My God, we’d be riding on the roads
otherwise. The trails bring a lot of people and
money to Geneva.”
A former MIT student who planned to become an
engineer, Giannini first began selling
motocycles in the 1970s, and then bicycles as a
hobby in 1983, soon after the trails started
making their appearance along the Fox River. A
life-long Geneva resident, he grew up in a home
on the east side of Rt. 25, just across the
street from his current place of business, which
is located adjacent to the east bank of the Fox
River and on the trail system. He remembers
when the Kane County Forest Preserve District
first put the trails in.
“Many of the trails they put in were on
abandoned inner urban lines,” he explained.
“Streetcar lines. The Aurora, Elgin and Fox
Railroad, West Chicago spur, went from here up
to Elgin. On some of these paths, you can still
see piled up railroad ties and other remnants of
the railroads.”
Besides being historic, the trails give people
more than a physical workout, says Giannini.
“I’ve had so many people say it’s good for their
mood – riding through the woods, the tranquility
of it.”
He estimates he himself rides about 50 miles a
week on the trails despite knee replacement
surgeries. He said he’s gone as far south as
Aurora and as far north as Algonquin. From
Geneva to Algonquin is 22 miles, so a round trip
is 44 miles.
“That’s a pretty good ride,” he said.
His favorite section of the trail is between
Batavia and St. Charles; north of St. Charles,
he said, gets too crowded. According to
Giannini, the most scenic part of the Fox River
Trail is between St. Charles and Algonquin.
“There’s a section between South Elgin and Elgin
that they call the Rollercoaster. It has 30 to
40-foot hills. You’re continuously going up and
down. Very much fun if you like to do that kind
of thing.,” Giannini said. “North of Elgin,
there’s some swamp and grassland, and then
there’s some residential areas.”
He estimates he sells about 250 to 300 bikes
during the warmer months when his store is
open. The good thing about getting into biking,
he says, is that it’s a one-time expense.
“Unlike some of these other sports, like skiing,
you buy a bike, pay for it once, and that’s it.”
Just like there is no “best car brand,” Giannini
says there is no one perfect bike, but he did
admit that he has found the hybrid – a cross
between a mountain bike and a road bike, best
suited for most people. It comes in many
different categories, he says, is more
lightweight than a mountain bike, and sells the
best.
Most of his customers, he estimates 70%, come
from the tri-cities area and many are people he
knows and has done business with previously,
either selling them a bike or doing maintenance
for them. The others, he says, come from DeKalb
County, Aurora and farther away.
After more than 30 years selling and maintaining
bikes, Giannini says he may sell his current
building and move to another location just up
the hill from his present store, but he’s not
ready to retire.
“I’ll be here as long as I can do the job
physically,” he says. |
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Fox River Trail in Kane County Story of how
it was created |
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