Big Swingin’ Cycles

This is a great neighborhood shop. The staff are all friendly, responsive and helpful no matter the task. I bought my road bike from them and every time I go in (usually for a tune up now), Bryan and Charlie remember me. I recommend this place to all my friends.

I never imagined that I could find a bike store that would be so wonderful I would *almost* wish that something would go wrong with my bike so I could take it there to get fixed. Brian and his team are the best. They have been so friendly over the past few weeks as I’ve gone through a gradual process to fix up my bike. They helped me identify how to make my bike feel more comfortable and safe, and took the time to walk me through various options (e.g., wheels, handlebar tape, etc). Also, they just seem to have the nicest culture, and a very cute dog. I feel safer and happier knowing they are nearby to help me with my bike. Will be back for sure!

Excellent service. I got my tires changed twice within a couple days due to my own error. Both times the service was fast and friendly and the second time they only charged half because I had just been there 2 days prior. When I walked in the second time I was feeling so dumb because of my mistake, but because of their service I ended up walking out feeling good.

Brian and his team took great care of me, renting me a beautiful bike for a 55-​mile ride to the summit of Mt. Tamalpais («Mt. Tam»). They were very easy to deal with. In the end, I fit best on a well-​maintained Orbea B105 with full Dura-​Ace. The store is also very easy to get to by Muni. If you want to go on adventures that seem a little too challenging for competitors’ aluminums with Claris groupsets, give Big Swingin’ Cycles a call. They did not disappoint on their statement that they rent serious cycles!

The bike buying experience doesn’t get much better than this. The owner, Brian, and his entire team are super knowledgeable and not pushy at all when it came to finally pull the trigger on my new mtn bike.
After a fun and collaborative customization process with Brian, we learned that a few key components were on back-​order — instead of being forced to wait 6+ weeks, Brian subbed in the next best available parts so that I could get out on the trails instead of just waiting for the parts to arrive.
Build quality is simply fantastic, too. No creaking from the bb or the cranks, and the wheels were hand-​built by the BSC team. Amazing!

One of the best customer service experiences I have ever had. Brian is honest, kind, patient, and helped me find a bike thats perfect for my needs and wants. In addition, my bike comes with free service for the first year! I highly recommend Big Swingin’ Cycles, you wont be disappointed!

Great bike shop! The owner, Brian provided excellent service. I highly recommend supporting this local shop.

I’ve used several bike services in San Francisco over the years and this one is the best in my humble opinion. They have great personable customer service and always try to get things done right away if they can. They are very experienced and the best in the city.

I bought my orbea here. The sell price matched the prices online so they don’t add extra charges like some shady places I’ve been to in the area.
I continue to come back here for advice and tune ups. These guys know their stuff.
I recommend coming here for your bike needs.

I had a nice chat with Brian and da boys at BigSwingin’ Cycles. We discussed the up and coming mtb scene in Hawaii. Fun and empty trails and more being built. How mountain bikers, hikers, and such all get along and have mutual respect. Wish Marin county would show the same aloha for cyclists. When our gang visits the Bay Area for a mtb excursion we will be sure to go to BigSwingin’ for rentals, a ride, gear, and maybe a beer. I luvs da Downhill. BigSwingin’Cycles is the mountain bike friendly shop in the City.

Brian, the owner, was very professional. I took advantage of both Unilocal offers. For thirty dollars per day, the Unilocal check-​in offer, I was pedaling a Giant hybrid bike around San Francisco. That price included a lock and a helmet.(I used the other Unilocal offer to buy my own helmet.) The bike shifted well enough, and the tire pressure was adequate. I would definitely recommend this place.

These guys are my new go-​to local shop. Everyone in the shop is knowledgable, helpful, and friendly — without the smug that you get from some shops. Every time I’ve visited the shop, they’ve offered to help me with something free of charge. That goes a long way with this customer.

I cannot say enough glowing things about Big Swingin’ Cycles in San Francisco. Many things set them apart but one thing you notice right away is that they genuinely respect and appreciate each customer is different and comes looking for a new bike, or repairs, with different expectations. This review focuses mainly on the new bike aspect since that why I visited them in the first place. But make no mistake their mechanics are king of the mountain. If Charlie can’t sort it out it’s not sortable.
On with the story … At Big Swingin’ they actually take as much time as you got to understand your needs and wishes. Do you live in the city and want a bike for weekends to cruise GG Park or to ride across the bridge or do you live to ride Three Bears before work three times a week? Or like me, you are looking for a killer mountain bike. I NEVER got any sense they try to up-​sale you. Undoubtedly they make more margin on the expensive bikes but on my many visits and demo rides with them I observed again and again them recommending the bike that made the most sense for the customer’s needs. The long lost art of small business integrity.
On the mountain bike front they sell some awesome bikes. I knew I wanted a twenty-​niner mountain bike and a friend wouldn’t let me buy one until I checked them out. I worked with the owner Brian. They sell a bunch of awesome bikes but for me we narrowed it down to the Yeti SB95 carbon and a Niner Rip 9 RDO. Both Brian and Charlie, who both ride extensively, really helped me zero in on what I wanted in my new bike, how and where I most like to ride, and what I liked and disliked about the bikes I had demoed at other stores. They encouraged me to demo both but after riding the SB95 I saw no need. I couldn’t imagine a bike better suited for me. So I ordered one. An important plus was that only Big Swingin’ seemed to have an answer for a simple problem that I needed the bike to have slightly lower granny gearing than stock. Instead of a bunch of excuses or reasons why it would be difficult or expensive they just moved forward like it was no big deal. And their solution works great.
And now the most impressive thing about Big Swingin’: Because the color I wanted was back-​ordered I waited a long time for my bike. The day I picked it up I had already planned to go straight to China Camp for a ride. As Brian was installing a cool seat bag for a spare tube I noticed two deep gouges in the paint, near the bottom of the seat tube. I pointed them out and Brain mentioned unfortunately some of the new Yeti’s were being delivered with quite noticeable blemishes in the frames/​paint. Unwisely, in my excitement and anxiousness for the bike and to get riding, I left with the gouged bike. But those bangs really brought down the whole new bike thing. After stewing about it I decided no NEW bike should have that kind of flaw and surely not one as expensive as a Yeti. Sure, it’s a mountain bike but I decided that the scrapes, scratches, and bruises should be of my doing. Because I had taken the bike Yeti (Colorado) wasn’t really involved with the problem-​solution but Brian made 100% good on getting a new front triangle and swapping over the rest of the bike so in the end I ended up being able (and still to this date — 15 rides later) to enjoy the «new bike» experience. That integrity thing I mentioned above – there it is in spades. I can’t imagine a better place to get a new bike. Or just stop by and the shoot the shit about bikes, trails, components, beer, or bike movies. These guys are the real deal. My friend Scott was right about them.

Have used these guys a number of times for the convenience factor of being nearby and have been disappointed more than once.
Brought a 29″ Shimano XC MTB wheel in for a rebuild on the hub. Told Brian it wasn’t a huge priority since I had a back up wheel on my bike. Nearly 5 months went by without a phone call. I finally called them about it and it was totally forgotten about. Got the wheel back finally, paid over $ 80 and it has a bad bearing race… Useless.
Brought my bike in today to be packed for a flight and paid $ 75 and supplied all of my own packing supplies. I mentioned that I didn’t have my tools or I would have done it myself and I was told «Well, we will do it right» …as if I was some noob. I was asked if I wanted the box taped up and sealed. It was a crude, overpriced job.

Great place and got an appointment less then a week. Was looking for a place that can rebuild my E-​Bike rear wheel with a 300 watt electric motor, replace all my spokes very well played. I had the iteams and they gave me the best price for my type of bicycle. I went looking around but other stores keeped referring me to a electric bike shop but the price was way off my budget. And finally I found a bike store near my place and the owner name Bryan told me to come by to see what he can do and the mechanic did an excellent job. They also sell electric bike there or a conversion kit, I seen it on there website
Thanks and this place will be a place to get things done for my type of bike.

In my humble opinion, Big Swingin’ Cycles is the very best bike store in the entire Bay Area (and there are a lot of very nice bike stores all around). I purchased two mid-​tier bikes from the place five years ago (a hard-​tail mountain bike and a road bike), and the staff still always takes care of me with premium service — even when I don’t buy anything. The owner, Brian, is very cool, and I never feel like he is pushing anything on me. Dave, the mechanic, is also super laid back and really knows his stuff.
I recommend all my friends to this store, and I will definitely buy another bike from Big Swingin’ Cycles when I need/​want a new bike.

I’ve come in this shop a few times for accessories and to look around since it’s just a few blocks away from my apartment. Their selection tends toward the high end and they really do have some awesome wheels in the shop. That said, I have left more than once with a feeling like they weren’t going to spend a lot of time with you unless you were dropping a few grand on a bike.
I ended up making a purchase online and brought it in to the shop to be assembled since the shop where I regularly do business was backlogged that week. Big Swingin Cycles said they could turnaround the assembly within 24 hours so I thought great, let’s do it.
THE GOOD: They charged me a hundred bucks for the assembly and did the job in less than a day.
THE BAD: They did not ask to check the fit when I returned to pick it up or adjust the seat post or handlebars.
THE WORSE: I brought the bike to my regular guys later because it was shifting poorly. They said the dérailleur was not properly adjusted.
THE WORST: My bike had a strange rattle when riding around. I took off the seat. inverted the bike, and a screwdriver came out of the frame!!!
No hard feelings guys, but I’m keeping the screwdriver.

I moved to SF a few months ago and decided that I’d actually follow through and buy a bike. You see, I promised myself years ago that I’d buy a bike when I lived in DC. And despite living there for five years (4 of those without a car), I got hung up on the expense and felt a bit unsettled about riding alongside city traffic. Plus, I tend to agonize over large purchases, and the wide range of options to research (mountain bike, hybrid, road bike, etc. as well as materials, brakes, components, etc.) stalled any momentum I ever had.
This time was right this time, though. My commute from Russian Hill to downtown is $ 4 roundtrip on the bus, and I knew I could cut it from 30 to 15 minutes by biking. Not to mention I’d get in some exercise. So I set out looking for a bike to commute to and from work, but one that could also go for longer weekend rides. I also wanted something I could grow into, so if I really liked biking, I wouldn’t immediately feel under-​equipped and in need of an upgrade.
I went to a number of bike shops around the city and talked to the staff. Lombardi, High Trails, Sports Basement. Of those four, I thought the guys at Big Swingin’ Cycles and Sports Basement were the best. The first guy I talked to at Lombardi was a bit pompous, though a return visit found a far friendlier attendant. At BSC, Charlie was more than happy to listen to what I was looking for, and let me test ride a few options he thought fit my needs. I got there after work, and though they close at 7, he was in no rush and helped me 10 – 15 minutes past close.
The bike I really liked was more than I expected to spend (isn’t it always?). But after test-​riding 6 – 7 other bikes at comparable price points (or cheaper), I went back to Big Swinging Cycles. This time, I met with Brian, the owner. He was equally friendly and helpful and was happy to address all of my concerns and more. I never felt like he was trying to upsell me on anything — he understood my budget and helped me to make things work. He also educated me about my bike and cemented my purchase.
I’m thrilled with my bike and the service I’ve received already at this bike shop. It’s easy to feel uncomfortable taking up a hobby you know next to nothing about. These guys are true pros and will not bat an eyelash if you ask a stupid question — in fact, they’ll take the time to get you up to speed, which is exactly what I was looking for when I set out to buy a bike.
I wholeheartedly recommend bikers of any experience level to give these guys a shot. You won’t regret it.
** 11÷7÷2012 update: –1 star for misleading information on the bike. I was sold a Giant Rapid 1 — which is what I researched against and did price comparisons on. Two people independently confirmed that this was the bike. And, in fact, from my research I learned that the bike was last year’s model, information which was not offered up during the sales process.
I didn’t realize until after I had bought the bike that it is actually a Giant Rapid 2. I still got a really good deal, though certainly not as great of a deal as it appeared at the time. I don’t think it was intentional, but still — you should know exactly what you are selling, particularly at this price point.

Run (or in this case bike) for the hills !
Stay away–
They took a $ 1000.00 deposit on a $ 2700.oo bike and Brian said it would be here in 2 weeks– (he said he had 4 coming in the nest week) 3 months later in October, they had my bike! In the summertime –soooooooooooooo uncool !
1^st ride — the crank arm fell off while pededling up the first hill!
When i brought it back — he said I would have to leave it– and blamed it on the «torque» wrench (because there was no way that it was one of his top notch mechanics who assembled the bike-​REALLY?!
2^nd ride the Fox front shock seal failed– had to walk home 3 miles–
When i brought it in he said he needed to send the shock back to FOX for repair –REALLY?
He had 3 sitting in his parts display– but nooo. the policy was to have it reapired.
He said it would take 3 weeks– after telling him too keep the bike and i would reverse the credit card charge — he said he would have it done the next day.
Then his mechanic was sick, then he was on vacation — 2 weeks later he had my bike
I should have bought it from REI– ($ 200.00 cheaper)
So much for giving the little neighborhood mom and pop the opportunity!
WHAT A DICK!

This is my local bike shop. I live a couple of blocks away and can’t stress enough how nice Brian (owner) and his staff are.
I love road bikes but recently decided I would try out mountain biking. I stopped by and rented a Marin Nailtrail. I caltrained down to Saratoga gap and about 3 miles into my ride my spoke busted and I couldn’t finish my ride. I thought I would head back to to the city and they’d charge me an arm and a leg to fix it. The staff were super nice and credited me half of the $ 70 I paid to rent the bike. This is why I go here — great customer service.
It’s a small store but the mechanics are awesome and friendly.