Bikes To You

Just out to visit my daughter at Grinnell College this past weekend. She said she needed a bike. The only store in town is «Bikes To You.» She and I stopped by and spoke with the owner, Craig Cooper. We were blown away by Craig’s friendly, helpful approach to sales and customer service. I bought my daughter a great bike at a reasonable price with all of the accessories she needs. Craig is very knowledgeable — he made the process fast and easy. I especially appreciate that the bikes he sells come with free tune-​ups and also free summer storage in the shop basement for students! And he recommended my daughter bring the bike by each month to get air in the bike’s tires and have oil sprayed on the bike’s chain to keep it from rusting. I strongly recommend this shop to other Grinnell moms and dads looking to get bikes for their kids. Now that I know Craig, I would be comfortable buying a bicycle or arranging bike service for my daughter’s bike with him over the phone. There is no question that he is a very trustworthy businessman.

If you want to spend your hard earned money locally, where you can get to know the owner, this is a place for you! Craig the owner is awesome and so is the rest of his staff. Their Facebook page touts «Bikes To You is a small town bicycle shop with a purpose to deliver fast and quality service to our customers». But I would add that they bring in great name brand products, understand customer service and stand behind their products and services. Whether you need a gift, a new bike or a tune up… Stop in. You will be glad you did!
Please note that I rated them moderate for price because even though some of their items are more expensive it is the correct price point for brand/​item.

Fantastic family-​owned bike shop that works really hard to provide great service, products, and prices to the Grinnell community and Central Iowa area. If you’re a Grinnell student on a budget, they’ll meet your needs and get the basics done on your bike (flats, tuneups) at a fair price. And if you’re in the market for high-​end gear, they have that too. True to the small town spirit, they’ll get to know you by name and go the extra mile when needed to do the customer right.
In addition to sales and service, you can get your bike packed & shipped from here or sent here. Handy for the start of the college year or for RAGBRAI-​ers from out of state. You can rent bikes here too. Despite Grinnell’s small size, they have a really wide selection of bikes and accessories — Giant, Surly, GT, and Schwinn.
They also run a RAGBRAI charter service too. For those in the know, most people do end up linking up with a group like this or another club. It certainly makes managing your way through 12,000+ people a little easier.
A testament to the quality of the shop and of the owner, Craig: the shop has been an official RAGBRAI bike shop since ~1994. There are only about a dozen such shops statewide in Iowa and it’s a highly coveted endorsement and opportunity. They wouldn’t have kept that mantle for so long without providing true service and being friendly folks.
I came here for 4 years through college so I write from experience. Now out of the area, I only get to return at reunion. I wish they had a shop in my local area now – but if they did, it wouldn’t be the same, that is, the great small-​town, personal experience.