Originally Posted by
schnee
San Diego:
Adam's Avenue has lots of press right now, and a few of the guys that work there are really cool, but the repair service is crap and the shop has a 'holier than thou' vibe... you know, getting ignored for ten minutes while they're in the back joking and drinking beers. I gave their shop three different chances over the course of six months, and the results were 1) two botched things on one easy repair, 2) letting the bike sit for three full days when I asked them to fix their botched repair, and 3) taking six weeks fixing a broken spoke that was promised in 'two days'. On the plus side, they came -
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CalCoast Bikes is my fave shop. Charlie (the owner) is super cool, their mechanics are thorough and experienced, and it's got a down-to-earth vibe. It's very 'professional' - the work orders are exact, everyone's helpful without being clingy, and they know their stuff. Their inventory is mostly roadie and MTB (i.e. Giant, Ibis), but they have Masi in stock and access to a lot more... I built a pimp Soma Rush from the ground up. I'd say go there if you're interested in a modern track bike (to, you know, ride track), something functional (Crosscheck) or SS MTB (Karate Monkey).
i see your points but have different experiences.
-adam's is always rad to me, but i could see how going in there would be intimidating. i'm not a super cool "fixie guy" but i've bought a couple bikes from them and generally most of the guys are awesomely nice to me, only a couple are neutral but i've never gotten attitude. only complaint could be that the special ordering can take more than too long sometimes but of course that can all come down to availability of the product. and yeah their turn around can take a bit but they're a small, typically high volume shop so i forgive them.
-mission hills seems cool. i haven't been there much myself but i'm gonna move back to that area soon so we'll see.
-velo culture, oh velo culture. i'm just not into this shop. it was kinda cool at first, then it got a little more cool. then it just got confusing. half of the **** in the store isn't even for sale. i mean, i understand it's a looser style of shop and obviously carries more used stuff. ehh i dunno, i don't like talking ****, pm me if you want my passive beef, but i'm simply not really a fan of this shop.
-cal coast seems ok. again i'll check them out more when i live down there.
-big ring cyclery still around? i've been meaning to go there for a while now. i've heard they have some dope stuff, too.
ok.