Krakatoa Bikes

Shop local! Miguel is knowledgeable and friendly and has a great selection for such a small shop. Salsa, Norco and more plus great maintenance and services.
Also if you’re looking for service and find a long wait list at other shops Miguel can often get you squared away sooner!

I met Miguel while looking for a Salsa bike to be my commuter/​touring bike. Krakatoa bikes was the closest shop to my house that sold Salsa. Miguel was super helpful and seems genuinely excited to get people out there on a great bike. He seemed really knowledgeable about mountain bikes and I wouldn’t hesitate to drop in again when I decide to pick up a new mountain bike.

I had a terrific experience working with Miguel at Krakatoa Bikes to purchase my new mountain bike. I am an intermediate rider — fire roads and single track that are not super technical — and have ridden misfit and underwhelming mountain bikes that cost around $ 200 all my life. I wanted a significant upgrade.
I visited six different new bicycle shops in Fairfax and San Anselmo. All of the shops were quite nice and helpful however Miguel was definitely the best.
He spent considerable time with me listening to what I wanted and describing options — and pointing out upgrades to consider and those to ignore. I knew a few things I wanted for sure, but a lot of the options and pros/​cons I was not very informed on. Miguel was the most knowledgeable of all the shops I spoke with. He worked on pricing for me, researched prior year equivalent models and different approaches with build kits and customizations to optimize price vs feature set.
I researched a lot of his advice later online and found it very well informed, and ultimately I purchased a Salsa El Mariachi. The one I wanted needed to be ordered and arrived fast. I made the purchase on a Monday and had the bike by Friday.

Went to Krakatoa because they are listed as a service outlet for Razor electric scooters, and I had a problem with my son’s. Miguel took at least 30 minutes to help troubleshoot the problem, pinpointing weak battery voltage as the likely problem. He charged me zero for his time and help. Then, when I wrote to the battery company to ask for a refund and they asked for documentation, Miguel took additional time to write out an explanation of the test and the results, which allowed me to get my money back from the battery purchase. I very much appreciate the time and effort he put in, even knowing that it wasn’t going to lead to a sale for his shop. I can imagine he treats his bike customers the same way.

Represents the best of Fairfax. Great local knowledge and excellent service.
Went in to Krakatoa with my 10-​year-​old and was warmly received. Very knowledgeable about bikes and Miguel was especially helpful in explaining things to my 10-​year-​old.
So many great bike shops in Fairfax and this is one of them. Additional bonus is that it’s located right next to Gestalt Haus!

top notch local shop! miguel is knowledgeable, personable & more than fair. Take my word that this off beaten track shop is worth your time. repairs done well! free, solid advice offered. The two 1 stars below are garbage. Yes — there’s occasionally a dog in the shop. Big woop.

I came to Krakatoa bikes a couple of years ago on a recommendation from a friend. I got hooked up with new suspension for a great price and he has been my go to guy for anything bike ever since.
I am a firm believer in supporting local businesses with great service and quality products, and Krakatoa bikes delivers. The owner from day 1 has treated me like family. He has always been fair, honest and friendly. He fixed up my 1996 Marin Palisades Trail MTB and brought it back to life when I thought it was hopeless. I’ve used it now in back to back Dawn to Dusk adventure races and it’s been solid and dependable thanks to Krakatoa.
When I saw the one nasty review on here I was honestly baffled. If you got a problem with someone or their business: why wouldn’t you try to just work it out face to face? Why bottle it up and explode later on the internet? These blog troll crusaders hiding behind the power of a keyboard and safety of a computer screen drive me nuts… If people had the wherewithal to just talk to the people they have problems with and solve it right then and there, then there wouldn’t be a problem.
I just ordered a brand new bike from Krakatoa, and the owner helped me pick out the best brand, size and value for what was in my price range and for my type of riding. I am so stoked! (Norco Sight Killer B Carbon!!)
I will continue to support this business for as long as I ride bikes. If you want great advice and individual attention come to Krakatoa and get a straight answer. I love this shop!

Someone removed my review because of a conflict of interest. Now, how could a costumer have a conflict of interest reporting his experience at a shop? I’ve never worked in any bike shop, and know no bike shop owners personally.
The only explanation is that the owner of this business is so dishonest that he even has negative reviews removed by making bogus claims. No wonder there is only one 5 star review aside from mine; does he remove all the negative ones?
First part of a business is whether or not the employees treat you with respect. Usually, you don’t want to do business with people who are rude to you. Well, the clerk or owner was rude. That’s the first issue.
Second, when a business tells you they will call to check on the pricing of an item and get back to you, but never do, that again shows poor business skills, and a certain lack of respect and organization.
Third, when you run a business, you should make sure your costumers are not attacked by your ill-​behaved dog. People don’t go in stores to have to fend off a large dog jumping all over you.
Fourth, when you go into a business you don’t want to be waiting while the clerk is on some personal call. And when the clerk does get off the phone, you don’t want him telling you some sexist comment about the girl he was on the phone with.
For all the above reasons, I can only give one star to this business.

Went there with my four-​year-​old son to check out this small shop. The person at the desk was on the phone, chatting. There was a loose dog in shop that kept on jumping on me, and eventually it jumped on my son, knocking him over. That guy did not even get off the phone. Go there if you enjoy being ignored by the salesperson, while being harassed by an untrained dog. I’m a dog lover, but I don’t expect to step in a business and have my son knocked over by a dog.

This guy is great. Super friendly and helpful and will cut you a deal. Happy to answer questions. All the other shops I’ve dealt with in fairfax are overpriced and the few who know anything are condescending tools. This guy knows way more, and doesnt make you feel like an idiot. seems to be very much a high end mountain bike shop, but he sorted me out cheap when I brought my 15 year old junker in there. Great place, worth a look for any help you might need.