New DuPage bike shop values the environment along with craftmanship

By Jeremy Behnken

A passion for cycling, a vision for environmental sustainability, and a commitment to craftsmanship are the values at the heart of Recycled Cycling Bike Shop. Operating out of a rehabbed bank building at the corner of Butterfield and Batavia Roads in historic Warrenville, Recycled Cycling is positioned at one of the busiest hubs on the Illinois Prairie Path and in the largest section of connected forest preserves and protected wetlands in Northern Illinois.

Recycled Cycling is owned and run by two longtime DuPage County residents, Bob Marcuccelli and Jeremy Behnken. Bob, a bicycle manufacturer, had a vision to build a bicycle designed specifically for the crushed limestone trails of the Illinois Prairie Path. A master fabricator, engineer, and welder, Bob designed and built the Sentiero (path or trail in Italian), launching his own line of belt-driven bicycles. Marcuccelli Bicycles are built by hand at his shop in Glen Ellyn, IL. Jeremy Behnken, a small-business owner, entrepreneur, and cycling enthusiast began fixing and restoring bikes with the dual aim of providing much-needed bikes to the community and reducing the number of bikes ending up in landfills, and in doing so created Recycled Cycling. The two came together with a vision of providing high-quality bicycles and professional bike service for the community while working to repurpose and recycle bikes.

Recycled Cycling Bike Shop serves the novice to the most experienced cyclist, explaining repairs and educating customers along the way. Their showroom offers an impressive selection of quality bicycles, from entry level to high-end: from a $200 refurbished bike to an expensive Italian dream machine. They also carry sustainable brands, like Green Guru, which makes well-crafted bicycle accessories from recycled outdoor gear such as parachutes, tents, and bicycle inner tubes. This one-of-a kind bike shop has a group ride meet-up room, offering group rides a place to meet up before their ride and a place to connect after the ride. 

In their mission to reuse and recycle bikes, Recycled Cycling accepts any used bicycle on trade and ensures that it will be repurposed or fully recycled. The bike shop also serves as a donation location for Working Bikes, a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides bicycles to people in need locally and around the globe. Last year Recycled Cycling collected over 300 bicycles for Working Bikes.

Bob and Jeremy say choosing Warrenville as the home of their bike shop was an easy decision, given its position on the Illinois Prairie Path, its designation as a bicycle-friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists, and its proximity to multiple trails and nature preserves. There are endless cycling day trips to take from the shop and plenty of nature to explore. The Fermilab trail just to the west of the bike shop boasts more than 280 species of birds, a herd of bison, and even flying squirrels. To the east, riders can see all that St. James Farm, Herrick Lake, and Danada forest preserves have to offer. To the north, Blackwell, West DuPage Woods, Winfield Mounds, Kline Creek Farm, and Timber Ridge never disappoint. And to the south, riders can follow the DuPage River through Warrenville Grove and McDowell Grove to Burlington Park. Come enjoy a day on the trail in Warrenville!