Riding a bike improves physical and mental health, connects you with nature and the community and is a lot of fun for new riders as well as those who were putting baseball cards in their bike’s spokes in the 1950s and 1960s.

The Bike Rack hasn’t been around quite that long, but it’s been a fixture in St. Charles for over 50 years.

Located at 2930 Campton Hills Road, the Bike Rack has been voted The Best Bicycle Shop in Kane County Chronicle’s Best of the Fox for the fourth time in five years.

“The biggest thing of what makes us different than other shops is we track every customer that comes in and buys something,” says Hal Honeyman, who has owned the Bike Rack with his family since 1975. “We hope our customers have a good experience, and if not, why not? What went wrong? We really listen to our customers. If something doesn’t go right, we want to figure out what would make that happen and fix it so we don’t do it again.”

It’s a true family affair at the Bike Rack, so it’s no surprise that customers feel like they’re part of one here.

It all started a year before the nation’s bicentennial when Honeyman convinced his parents, Dale and Nancy, to purchase the business. Today, Dale and Nancy’s great-grandchildren are the newest family members to pitch in on the family business, while Honeyman’s wife, sister, brother and son are among others who continue to make Bike Rack an unparalleled option for cycling enthusiasts and newbies.

“We put a pretty extensive effort into what we do, and it’s not just lip service,” Honeyman says. “How can we push the envelope and make it a better world today? We can’t stay the same. We’ve got to keep moving or we won’t survive so we keep pushing on customer service. And one big thing we’re doing is making cycling inclusive, providing bikes for anybody of any age or physical situation that comes in.”

Adaptive cycling hits close to home for the Honeymans, whose son Jacob was born with cerebral palsy. After finding a specialized bike for Jacob, Honeyman has helped fit countless customers with disabilities through the formation of Project Mobility: Cycles for Life.

“Last week I was in Detroit in a hospital fitting custom-made bikes,” Honeyman says. “And I spent two days in Milwaukee recently with injured vets. We do a lot more than in these four walls. We try to go out and find different groups who can benefit from what we can offer and we support events all summer long.”

The Bike Rack stocks bikes, adaptive bikes, parts, accessories, helmets, clothing, shoes, car racks and more. Its service center will get you and your bike back on the trails ASAP and its on-site indoor cycling performance center is geared for workouts, fun group rides and more.

Amazingly, this all came to life as Honeyman’s passion for cycling blossomed as a teenager.

“I was a typical 14-year-old kid riding around,” he says. “Someone told me about the Swedish Days ride and I rode my Schwinn Typhoon for 60 miles. I did a lot more organized rides, became an avid cyclist and began working on bikes as well, and one thing kind of led to another.”