Hello! I'll be moving down for college in the next month and would like to get some input from people around the area for bike shops.
I've looked online for opinions about some in the area, but would like to hear your experiences with the shops.

My personal favorite is Hi Tech bikes because I like the guys that work there and their mechanic is good. UC cyclery is good as well. I don't have any really negative feelings about any of the other places except for B&L in solana that seems to have a few jerks working up there.

I use B&L Bikes in Solana Beach and I haven't had any problems with them.

Where are you going to school? San Diego is a huge area. The shops near Cal State San Marcos are different from the ones near SDSU.

I would say it depends on what you want and expect from a shop, as well as how close do you want to be to it. Personally, I do not take my bikes to a shop for service unless it's something that I do not know how to do/not confident doing it myself/don't have the tools. Also, I don't true my own wheels yet. That said, Pacific Coast Cycles in Oceanside takes care of my bikes. I've purchased three bikes from them now and think it's a great shop, especially if you like vintage bikes or need some hard to find parts, or just don't like pushy sales people. However, if you hate it when shop staff won't tell you want you want to hear or expect a shop full of carbon wonder bikes, this shop is not for you. Also, I like Bike Bling in Escondido for accessories like tubes or food stuffs. It's a few miles across town from me and everyone there is pretty nice. They do have some great mechanics as well. Stay away from Performance. As Cbad said, B&L in Solana Beach is nice and they have some really good mechanics, although I've noticed some new staff that seem to be better suited to working at Target rather than a bike shop.

Thank you all for the input so far. I will be sure to stop by these shops. Do any of these shops also hold community events such as classes or group rides?
And sorry for not mentioning which college I will be attending; I will be attending UC San Diego in La Jolla.

Try UC Cyclery. The SDBC rides start there.

ucsd has a very good cycling team. join their rides and race with them if you so desire. They can probably get you discounts as part of the team.

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He can't send PMs until he has 50 posts, but he can leave you a visitor message.

that works too, forgot about that rule

The Bikesmith in Pacific Beach.

UC Cyclery is good, very helpful when you're searching for parts; I can't speak about the service department, but everytime I'm there, the group is busy.

For the past six months I've been visiting Mission Hills Bikes, on Washington St (only 15 - 20 mins from UCSD). The mechanics are VERY knowledgeable, super helpful, and are friendly. The service prices are very reasonable, as I've had three recent service requests and each one was priced well-below what other shops quoted me. I won't go anywhere else.

A newer shop that I have been using is Moment Cycle Sport in Liberty station. Another is B&L bikes in the midway area. There is also Zummwalts bikes in the college area.

Performance is frequently bashed on the forum, but I have had excellent service and warranty treatment on the pro DuraAce Fuji road bike I bought at their Midway location a few years back, and the SRAM Red Gt road bike I bought at their Convoy store, both bikes have been great, and were great deals.

I've know their best mechanics by name, so on the rare occasion I need them to do something, they do a top notch job.....just saying

My neighborhood shop is Adams Avenue Bicycles in University Heights. I've bought two new bikes there and had several other frames built up, including a John Waite track tandem. Near UCSD I recommend Rose Canyon Cycles on Santa Fe St. The UCSD campus bike shop was run years ago by Dan Rock who is now at B&L in Solana Beach, another shop with a top reputation. Don't let Hi-Tech Bikes glue tubular tires. Several years ago a track racer rolled a tire off the rim in turn 3, crashed, broke his collarbone, and took out several other riders with him, destroying a beautiful vintage Panasonic. When the officials examined the wheel they found very little glue, maybe half a tube. Rider said he had the tires glued on at Hi-Tech. When I tried to order slotted track cleats from them they told me they weren't made any more (baloney!) and I would have to buy a pedal system, also not recommended for track since there is the possibility of pulling out at speed. Went to B&L and Dan had a pair of slotted cleats for me within a week.

Don't buy from the Borg (Performance). Patronize a local bike shop and keep the money in town.

What's with the place I see off the train..Bicycle Warehouse is it?

B&L just got sold recently, and have been told there has been some staff turn-over. Since you will be at UCSD, UC Cyclery will be an excellent choice. I have had good service from them, but I also work near Moment in Point Loma and live close to Hi-Tech.

Moment and Hi Tech. Ive had great experiences with both. I havent tried the others but Im sure they are good also. Bicycle Warehouse on Santa Fe... Bought my bike there and got a good deal on the price dont know much about the service.

Also Gordon Yeager, formerly of B&L, has just opened a service-oriented shop called Velo Hanger in Solana Beach just north of the racetrack (just around the corner from Fidel's). I haven't been to him yet, but have heard rave reports about his work from people I know and respect.

Bicycle Warehouse in PB (the one you can see from the train Is pretty good, there are some highly knowledgeable people there & if the person that you are talking to doesn't know, he will direct you to someone who does know.

There is also Rose Canyon Cycles on Santa Fe St. I'm going to try them out on Thursday and let you all know how it goes. Reviews seem good.
Bicycle Warehouse is good, but they're usually back-logged. At least, when I've been there. The Bicycle Warehouse on Kearny is usually less busy with faster turn-around.

Are there any mechanics in the SD area who are known to be good with Titanium bikes? I have a 2010 Litespeed.

What area are you in? If you're anywhere near Point Loma, send me a PM if you want me to provide you with the name and telephone number of one of the team jelly belly mechanics. He does freelance work.

It has been a while since I visited BF and now that I have I am pleasantly surprised by all these responses, thank you all!
I have visited UC Cyclery so far and like it very much.
I am adjusting to college life still and have mainly spent my time studying rather than on the bike, hopefully that changes soon.