Bay Area Bikes

I got my bike stolen over the holidays. I guess it was finally my turn. I still love you, Oakland.
Thankfully, a friend gave me her old Trek, but it needed work. Bay Area Bikes fixed up the front tire in a day, cleaned up my bike, oiled the chains, and also fixed my shaky handlebar at no extra cost.
But wait, it doesn’t stop there.
They then instructed me to go watch some videos on how not to get a bike stolen. They even lent me their lock cable when they heard that I was running off to Jack London to run some errands. I told them it’s fine, I had a U-​lock, but they insisted because they did not want to see my front tire stolen while I was out with my newly fixed bike. (I made sure to return the cable, btw, because I’m not a bike cable thief!)
That’s some great customer service, if you ask me. Thanks, BAB!
Addendum: I wish I could give them an extra star! Last night, my bike chain fell off, and since I was near their store, I decided to run over. They had just closed, and the employees were just coming out to lock up the doors. When they saw me trying to fix the chain outside their shop, they were super nice about it, asked me what happened, and fixed it for me in literally three seconds. I seriously do not understand any of the negative Unilocal reviews. These guys are the NICEST PEOPLE in the world! Thanks again, BAB!

Honest and fast mechanics.
Dropped by here because my shifter cable broke on the way to work. I normally perform all maintenance myself, but I didn’t have time nor the tools to do the replacement myself while at work. They fixed it up in a day while I was at the office and charged me 20 bucks for labor + parts.
Will be returning.

Got my first ebike here, these guys are super helpful and accommodating. When you have people who love bikes and love helping others with their bikes, you get a place like Bay Area bikes. Nice to have a place like this so close to Bart too!

A li’l history: I’ve been bringing my business to Bay Area Bikes for over 6 years, mostly very happily. I was a bit thrown to read of their low, average 3.5 star review since their relocation from Webster Street before my seasonal check-​up visit this year. But since then, my visits the past month put me on the «not a fan» side of that 3.5-star fence.
Long story short: it took three visits for the very same problem for the staff to ascertain, or at least tell me, that I need to replace my outer back tire — for a problem that I pointed out in my first visit as part of asking for an overall seasonal assessment and repair of a flat tire. The manager said that not charging me a second time for the inner tube replacement, which I paid for in my first visit, was sufficient compensation. And went on to make some claims about how they «don’t make mistakes.» Uhh — so you think you are offering me a bargain by charging me exactly the same thing that you would have if you had assessed the problem properly on my first visit — minus the subsequent inconvenience of getting a flat en route to and from work on two separate occasions? Then voice umbrage when called upon it?
By and large, the staff at BAB have been a good group of folks to work with. But since their relocation, there’s a different direction the management is taking. One that, after years of patronage and hundreds of dollars, I choose not to partake in anymore.
Maybe their other location (just a few blocks away at 2509 Broadway) offers a more agreeable visit? But for 2400 Broadway — while I’m fine with the staff being mostly bike enthusiasts first and salespeople second, IMO the supervising staff needs some Customer Service 101 education to retain loyal customers.

Came in to get a flat replaced — Tyler greeted me immediately when I came in and fixed my bike in minutes. Super friendly guys and a really nice shop!

J.P. and Tyler were instrumental in ensuring I got the right bikes to replace a couple that were stolen from my garage. I thoroughly enjoy my new Raleigh Cadent as my preferred city transport vehicle! Having been in the bike business myself in the past I appreciate friendly and knowledgable sales staff. Tyler spent the time with me to ensure that the Raleigh I ordered was going to be the perfect fit; and it was was. Highly recommended!

This bike shop is my favorite in the area. Every single time I come in the staff is extremely helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. They make my riding experience enjoyable and I learn something new about my bike every time. Excellent staff and reasonable prices all the time.

I must rave about the customer service I experienced today. Tyler of Bay Area Bikes helped me select a few bicycles to test ride and answered all of my questions with professionalism and care. Tyler, who is knowledgable about the specific products and cycling in general, was always pleasant and willing to share information. Ultimately, I purchased a bike from Bay Area Bikes and am pleased to give this establishment my business.

So someone stole the front wheel of
My bike so I wanted to buy a replacement wheel ASAP. I called this place and told them the size of the wheel I wanted and they told me that they have few wheels available.
So I walked a mile, with my wheel less bike and when I got there and asked for it he came up with just one wheel and said this is the only one they have available. It was pretty expensive too.
I don’t know why he said otherwise on the phone.
They have a good collection of quite expensive bikes though. Plus the place is pretty spacious too.

Meh. We came to the 2400 Broadway location on the afternoon of Nov 2. 2014. My dad was trying to get help here six months after he bought one of their bikes. The gentleman helped him find a good lock for his bike. But when my dad mentioned having trouble multiple times registering the bike online, all we got was a shoulder shrug and «try another browser.» When my father showed him the slip he received when he purchased the bike, the young gentleman said «that website probably doesn’t exist anymore.» Oh. Helpful. ;) There was no one behind us, so he should have shown us on a computer or at least delved a little into it.

These guys did great work fixing up my bike. They were very courteous, explained my options to me clearly, and even turned the job around pretty fast. Good place.

Amazing place, I highly recommend! I went in with a quick question and got a full walk-​through and adjustment of what needed fixing on my bike, so very helpful and sweet and professional.

Absolutely wonderful service and helpful information.
I have been in twice already for flat tires and they have been incredibly helpful. They both provide useful information and were very quick about fixing my bike. So glad they are in my neighborhood!

This place presents an honest, friendly façade, but I seriously doubt the integrity and/​or competence of these guys. Here’s a what I experienced with Bay Area Bikes:
Show up with a slipping dérailleur (skips gears when I’m riding), and ask them if they can fix it — they say sure, they will just need to replace my back gears and chain — should cost $ 165 total. The guy sounds nice and like he knows what he’s talking about so I agree happily and leave them with my bike at the shop.
Get a phone call the next day to inform me that they miscounted my gears, and since I have 10 gears instead of 8 like they originally thought, I’m going to be charged $ 200. Sounds like an honest mistake, so even though I’m not pleased with the update I accept again.
Show up to pick up my bike a couple days later and as soon as I take it out of the shop I notice it’s still slipping when I shift while moving up any sort of incline. Quite surprised that the $ 200 job I paid for didn’t do the trick, I take it back in and let the owner know that my bike is still skipping gears when I shift. He scratches his head, takes a look at the chain, gears and dérailleur and decides that I might need to replace the front gears as well — another $ 65 bucks. I explain I’ve already paid $ 200 (after initially being promised $ 165) and that I want to be sure any more servicing will fix the issue — he replies that he can’t guarantee anything, but hopes it will work, and says he will throw in a 10% discount on the $ 65 gear. At this point the «are you kidding me?!» thoughts are taking over so I tell him I’ll have to think about it and leave the shop with my bike.
Same afternoon I take my bike to a different bike repair shop and the mechanic informs me that the shifting issue is simply due to a slight bend in my dérailleur. 30 minutes and $ 20 later my shifting issue is solved, at it’s root. It’s frustrating to think I spent $ 200 (and almost another $ 65+) at Bay Area Bike’s for a job that didn’t do anything to solve my bike’s initial issue.
Safe to say I’ll never be taking my bike into Bay Area Bike’s again.