Northern California - Best of the Bay Area Local Bike Shops

Does anyone know of any good bike shops in the Bay Area or if there is a website with LBS reviews? I'm looking into purchasing my first mountain bike and was wondering what local bike shops offer with a bike purchased from them.

I just got back from a LBS here in El Sobrante and they offered a year of service and only the warranty the bike comes with. The service was pretty good too.

I called another shop in Alameda and they offer free adjustments forever and their bikes are guaranteed for life as well. It even says on their website. I'm sure there are restrictions though. The guy I talked to on the phone was pretty cool also.

Does anyone know of any good bike shops in the Bay Area or if there is a website with LBS reviews? I'm looking into purchasing my first mountain bike and was wondering what local bike shops offer with a bike purchased from them.

I just got back from a LBS here in El Sobrante and they offered a year of service and only the warranty the bike comes with. The service was pretty good too.

I called another shop in Alameda and they offer free adjustments forever and their bikes are guaranteed for life as well. It even says on their website. I'm sure there are restrictions though. The guy I talked to on the phone was pretty cool also.


Thats not bad at all. There are two shops I would recommend, the first is Trail head Cyclery in San Jose, the other is Passion Trailbikes in belmont. Both are mt bike specific for the most part. Very knowledgable and great reputations. If a shop is offerig a year of service its usually because they are a high volume dealer and not much for doing the service properly. I know both give you a free 90 day service.

The Bicycle Garage in Fremont, on Thornton Ave. This is my LBS. If my life depended on my bike, I'd get Fred to work on it. They sell Trek, Santa Cruz, and Specialized.
http://www.bicyclegarage.com/

www.rinconcyclery.com in east Santa Rosa, Sonoma county. Of six bike shops in that area they are the MTB experts. With direct access to Annadel State Park and many miles of trails.

Can anyone recommend a shop that can specialize in bike fitting (the whole 9 yards with measurements and everything)

Where in the Bay Area are you? If you live in Oakland, you probably don't want to have to take your bike to San Jose for service. You can use yelp.com for some review, to the extent that it helps. You might also poke around at the mtbr.com forums, lots more mountain bikers there than here. Mike's Bikes (many locations) offers a long-term package for a pretty good price (if you ride a lot).

As for fitting, I think that City Cycle in SF is one of the top fitters in the country. They do thousands of these per year, many on bikes they don't sell.

my personal favorite place is Shaw's cycles on washington st (aka Lafayette aka North Bascom) in Santa Clara. Total retrogrouch shop with an emphasis on road and track bikes (they sponsor Friday night races at the Hellyer Velodrome). The only complete new bike stock they have is bianchi and a few Mondocinos left from Antonio M's custom fit tour in 2005. But they are super knowledgeable, have obscure small parts, and spend the time to get it right. For instance my dad bought a bianchi Eros from them and talked to them about his concerns with flexibility problems in his knees. Jerry did a full fit and they swapped out the cranks for 160mm to ease the angle at the apex of the pedal revolution. None of the other shops we talked to even mentioned this as a possibility. So, yeah.

Ok, you guys have been kick ass with the replies and can't thank you all enough. I actually live in Pinole which is in the east bay area on the richmond/berkeley side so the other shops mentioned are more than an hour away.

So I went to Alameda bicycle but they didn't have much of a selection in stock. Not even one Specialized Hardrock Sport. I was able to test ride a rockhopper which I really liked but was above my budget. The sales rep was pretty knowledgeable and did her job on trying to upsell me from the hardrock sport and xc model.

I ended up going back to the pedaler and buying the '07 specialized hardrock sport!! The guys there were pretty cool. Can't wait to get on some trails now!!

I am very happy with Wheel Away in Campbell. Knowledgeble mechanics, friendly staff, and just good overall experience.
For fitting I was very happy with wholeathlete fitting session. Really solved my knee problem.
In San Leandro there is a good shop on the corner of MacArthur Blvd and Estudillo Blvd. Sorry I don't remember the name.
Not too happy with Off Ramp on El Camino and San Thomas. Atmosphere just doesn't feel right. I bought my first "modern" road bike from them, and they didn't even bother to fit me to it, plus it's couple sizes too big.

I am very happy with Wheel Away in Campbell. Knowledgeble mechanics, friendly staff, and just good overall experience.

Jake Workman over there (head wrench) is absolutely awesome. They don't sell bikes I like but they are definitely a quality shop.



Not too happy with Wheel Away on El Camino and San Thomas. Atmosphere just doesn't feel right. I bought my first "modern" road bike from them, and they didn't even bother to fit me to it, plus it's couple sizes too big.

Just a nitpick - this shop is actually The Off Ramp, not another Wheel Away location. This place is on my commute route so I have stopped to use their compressed air, buy a taillight when I forgot mine, etc, but again, not gonna buy a full bike from there. They are a Giant shop, nuff said :P

I really like the Pedaler in San Pablo. If that is the LBS you were referring to then you've found a good one. We bought my wife's Specialized road bike there as well as my parents' comfort bikes. Friendly, knowledgeable and great service.

Jake Workman over there (head wrench) is absolutely awesome. They don't sell bikes I like but they are definitely a quality shop.



Just a nitpick - this shop is actually The Off Ramp, not another Wheel Away location. This place is on my commute route so I have stopped to use their compressed air, buy a taillight when I forgot mine, etc, but again, not gonna buy a full bike from there. They are a Giant shop, nuff said :P
Err right. I was thinking Off Ramp, not sure why I wrote that. Fixed it. :)
They used to sell specialized actually, but yeah now they sell giants. Too bad.

Chain Reaction in Redwood City and Los Altos. Buncha bike nerds, which in this case is almost always a good thing.

..... They are a Giant shop, nuff said :P

I guess I'm out of the loop - what's wrong with Giant?

Livermore Cyclery (http://www.livermorecyclery.com/home.cfm) out in Livermore has always treated me very well. They have a pretty large selection of bikes, from high to low, and the mechanics seem to know what they are doing. You are always greeted in a friendly manner when you walk in.

I once bought a bike from Eden Cyclery in Castro Valley. They were all attentive and friendly when I bought it and spent some money, but after purchase gave the cold shoulder.

The California Pedaler (http://calped.com/index.cfm) in Danville is higher-end, but the guy that owns it knows just about everything bike, and is a great guy to talk shop with. His mechanic's are competent and friendly, and have done a few pain-in-the-ass requests of mine cheerfully and professionally.

+1 on Livermore Cyclery, they always treated me well when I was living there a couple of years ago. The store in Livermore is very large with a big selection of models. The Dublin store was smaller. I went back to SF for a business trip last year and even made the time to stop by. I wish I could find the same level of selection and knowledge down here in SE FL

I guess I'm out of the loop - what's wrong with Giant?


Eh, IMO they are the worst of the big three manufacturers (trek and specialized being the other two) for selling style over substance and pushing "innovations" that are actually cost-cutting measures for them as if they were improvements for the cyclist. Numero Uno being compact geometry frames in three sizes which lets them simplify production lines at the cost of bikes fitting humans properly.

Eh, IMO they are the worst of the big three manufacturers (trek and specialized being the other two) for selling style over substance and pushing "innovations" that are actually cost-cutting measures for them as if they were improvements for the cyclist. Numero Uno being compact geometry frames in three sizes which lets them simplify production lines at the cost of bikes fitting humans properly.

Well, (and you probably guessed this already :)), as it happens, I have a Giant OCR. While I agree with you in general about the frame sizes, mine happens to fit me well and is a joy to ride. To me it rode better than the comparable bikes I demo'ed. While I've heard disparaging remarks about their carbon frames, mine rides very, very well and I have no complaints after 4500 miles.

Also, they were the best "bang for the buck" at the frame component level I was looking at, so their cost cutting measures seem to have translated positively to my wallet. The comparable bikes at my price point were not as well equipped, or didn't ride as nice. I confess I didn't like the stock wheels much at all, but that wasn't show-stopper for me.

Sorry for the digression - back to the topic!!

i favor ocean cyclery in SF for their conveniency to me.. plus jeff and don are really cool people! they know their stuff just as much as any other lbs should.. also bike coal. discounts are always welcome.. as well as student discounts!

A big +1 to agree with bigbossman and stonecrd on Livermore Cyclery. I've known Steve Howard since before he opened the shop in 1976, and he is knowledgeable, friendly, and honest. It is a joy to see how he and his family have grown the shop from pretty small beginnings to a big, successful operation, especially knowing that it was done with hard work and good ethics.

Incidentally, Steve can do the bike fit thing, soup to nuts. He has the Serotta version of the fitting "bike" and has spent considerable time and effort learning about the hows and whys of comfortable and efficient positioning.

+1 for Shaw's. A total throwback to another time.

The bike nut in San francisco is amazing, nothing but the best stuff.

Velotech cycles in palo alto is also a grat shop for high end stuff.

Another vote for Mike's Bikes.
I have never been treated badly in any of their shops and they have great selection across every price range.

Another vote for Mike's Bikes.
I have never been treated badly in any of their shops and they have great selection across every price range.
I don't know. I found the one in Berkeley kind of snobish.

If you like Shaw's you'll like Slough's, too. Another trip in a time machine.

If you like Shaw's you'll like Slough's, too. Another trip in a time machine.

Is that the one on Race street? I have looked for it several times when in the area but never found it.

Perhaps its in a spatial dislocator in addition to a time machine?

If you turn north on Race St. from San Carlos, it'll be tucked off on the right-hand side of the street on the first block.

I'd like to mention Solano Cyclery... coincidently on Solano Ave. in Albany. I haven't lived in the bay area very long but I work in a bike shop, and any time I don't have a part for someone or can't fulfill a duty, I send them to Solano. A couple employees are snobby but the owner (Marty) is a cool down to earth guy.

I am a big fan of Montano Velo in Oakland.

I was in California last summer and will be again this summer. There are two places I'll be going back to.

Calmar Cycles, LBS on El Camino in Santa Clara. Bought my Trek there. Liked it better than The Off Ramp. Helpful, though it took a week to get my bike in for a first tuneup.

Sports Basement in Sunnyvale. Nice LBS-like section in the back. Lots of bikes and they seemed to have a good assortment of clothing and bags. They have two other stores in the area as well.

Check out Bicycle Odyssey in Sausalito - excellent shop!

I guess I'm out of the loop - what's wrong with Giant?

Livermore Cyclery (http://www.livermorecyclery.com/home.cfm) out in Livermore has always treated me very well. They have a pretty large selection of bikes, from high to low, and the mechanics seem to know what they are doing. You are always greeted in a friendly manner when you walk in.

I once bought a bike from Eden Cyclery in Castro Valley. They were all attentive and friendly when I bought it and spent some money, but after purchase gave the cold shoulder.

The California Pedaler (http://calped.com/index.cfm) in Danville is higher-end, but the guy that owns it knows just about everything bike, and is a great guy to talk shop with. His mechanic's are competent and friendly, and have done a few pain-in-the-ass requests of mine cheerfully and professionally.

+1 to both Livermore Cyclery (the Livermore location; the Dublin location staff seems to ignore anyone who comes in that they don't already know) and the California Pedaler. Livermore Cyclery helped me out when I was having a bad run of flats on a ride, and ran out of CO2. They let me put a frame pump on layaway even though they had no idea who I was.

JB

Another vote for Montano Velo in oakland.

The other shop I'd let work on my bike is the Hank and Frank on college ave.

Livermore Cyclery is a great store, I know Steve Howard's son, Chris pretty well and most of the employees at the Dublin Store. Pegasus Bike Works in Danville and California Pedler are also great shops too. Dublin Cyclery as well as Real Bicycles in pleasanton.

All great shops with extremely knowledgable staff.

Perhaps its in a spatial dislocator in addition to a time machine?

Is that an obscure Dr. Who reference?

Anyway, I totally recommend Willow Glen Bicycles http://willowglenbicycles.com/index.cfm on Willow near Lincoln in San Jose. I got probably my first bike ever from there when I was little and they still stock the oddball bits and bobs for my new '71 Hercules. Actually headed down there tomorrow for new tires and tubes!

+1 for Slough's.

The bike leaves the store the way the customer wants it. They are also fantastic wheel builders.

Is that an obscure Dr. Who reference?


Not an intentional one, no. But I won't argue against synchronicity.

I did eventually find it once I knew what I was looking for. What a neat place. All the good frames are stuck to the ceiling!

I don't know. I found the one in Berkeley kind of snobish.

Well, that's because it's in Berkeley... what did you expect?

To be fair, I've only been to the SF and Palo Alto shops

+1 to both Livermore Cyclery (the Livermore location; the Dublin location staff seems to ignore anyone who comes in that they don't already know) and the California Pedaler. Livermore Cyclery helped me out when I was having a bad run of flats on a ride, and ran out of CO2. They let me put a frame pump on layaway even though they had no idea who I was.


I've been into the Dublin store, and it's been hit-or-miss with the warm and fuzzies there. Sometimes they look at you cross-eyed, and sometimes they are very friendly and helpful.

The Livermore store has always been aces, though.

True story about the Livermore store and the service they provide:

I was a SAG driver for a local ride, The Cinderella Century. I stopped to help a woman over on Tesla Ave, and quickly discovered that she had bent her RD badly enough to wrap it into the read wheel. She had completely destroyed the RD cage, snapped the RD hanger, and set the rear wheel out of true.

I loaded her into the truck and zipped over to Livermore Cyclery. Being a Saturday with very nice weather, they were jammed and all stands were occupied. I explained who we were and that we were part of a ride in progress. Steve, the owner, overheard and came over. He tossed the bike on a stand, replaced the RD and hanger, and then re-trued the wheel and adjusted the shifters. Since the woman had no cash on her, he gave her the bill for the work and told her to pay it when she had the time.

Off we went and I got her back on the course with only a 1 hour delay, allowing her to finish the ride with her friends.

That's customer service.

I'm going to have to suggest hank and franks bikes, theres one in oakland. Great people, great service. I purchased a road bike there, and I know someone who has gotten a kona mtb from them. :) Great selection of konas, and they are having a sale soon on gear.

Just had our bikes serviced at Bike Spring in Downtown Mountain View. They sell Specialized bikes.

I was in California last summer and will be again this summer. There are two places I'll be going back to.

Calmar Cycles, LBS on El Camino in Santa Clara. Bought my Trek there. Liked it better than The Off Ramp. Helpful, though it took a week to get my bike in for a first tuneup.

Sports Basement in Sunnyvale. Nice LBS-like section in the back. Lots of bikes and they seemed to have a good assortment of clothing and bags. They have two other stores in the area as well.


Calmar is one of the only two LBS I would bring my bike to. I'm in san jose during the week so Calmar is my weekday LBS, on weekends, I live in San Francisco, and The Bike Nook on Taravel is great. Tiny shop but the customer service is A+.

I realize the original post is from months ago, but I just want to second the poster who said you did good by going to The Pedaler in el sobrante. Those guys are great. The mechanics really know what they are talking about and are very willing to share what they know without being snobby about it. They are also willing to spend a lot of time with you to make sure that you get what you really want. I have taken 4 friends in there to buy new bikes, as well as buying my own there, and each time the process took hours. But we are really happy with our bikes and we got the chance to try out lots of different ones and learned the differences between the bikes so we could figure out exactly what we wanted.

Cyclepath is great and sponsors our club (http://peninsulavelo.org). They have stores in Hayward, Pleasanton, and San Mateo.

Website: http://cyclepath.com

I like Missing Link in Berkeley, but don't have a lot of experience to compare. I found The Left Coast up by Claremont to be kinda snobbish and hardcore.

Reading this thread brings back nostalgic memories of a bike shop in Walnut Creek called Perfection Cyclery. I think of all the shops I've been to, Perfection was the best. It was also the smallest. The co-owner, George, did my cycle fit himself and spent more than 3 hours getting it right. His son was around 7 at the time and got along great with my wife.

Perfection Cyclery has been closed for nigh 2 years now. I miss it terribly.

On the East side of the Bay, I recommend Sharp Bicycles in Lafayette, Pegasus Bicycle Works in Danville, and Performance in Walnut Creek.

Sharp (Trek, Litespeed, LeMond, Moots, Parlee, Calfee, Klein, Ellsworth, Gary Fisher) and Pegasus (Look, Time, Bianchi, Wilier, Scott, Cannondale, Colnago, Felt, Pinarello, Eddy Merckx, Pegoretti, Rocky Mountain) are high-end stuff vendors but have very friendly and helpfull personel. Pegasus is also the only shop that also rents road bike in the area.
Performance in Walnut Creek also has friendly people especially in the wrenching department. In addition to doing the work themselves they will also help in selecting the right tool for your own projects.

I bought my Tyler Hamilton edition Zeros at Sharps. :)

Hi, I just bought my first road bike in 25 yrs. at Cyclepath in Hayward. Had a great experience. I had been to several other shops, got a lot of attention but felt talked down to, and limited in terms of test rides. Cyclepath was much more low key, let me ride what I wanted instead of steering me toward something. They stayed late to get my bike ready, and I came back the next morning for a fitting and they were just as helpful when I wasn't buying anything.

Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for the thread, and if you want a low-key but attentive shopping experience, where you don't feel like you're talking to a car salesman, Cyclepath is great.

Duncan

+1 for Slough's.

The bike leaves the store the way the customer wants it. They are also fantastic wheel builders.


Another vote for Slough's. I've known George for years. Good place to find that old vintage part especially Campy.

Sloughs is a little shop in Race street near San Carlos street.It's a brown,wooden building that looks more like a 1 story medical office building with small windows than a bike shop with bike windows.It's next to a used car lot,I think. That place has some real vintage stuff on display.The owner has a prototype Bontrager(?) mountain bike frame that dates back to 1977 or 78 and there's a NOS Browning Automatic Transmission on display also. The guys are helpful.
I like Wheel Away and Trail Head. There's a bike shop on Meridian near Hamilton that is helpful too.I think it's Hyland Family bicycles.