Alameda Bicycle

I'm not competitive, but I ride. A lot. I've been on my road bike for about four years now, ever since the exercise bike got me hooked back in college. I just like the fresh air in my face over a sweaty gym! So I've been riding a friend's (ex, yikes!) bike and figured, why not, I'm worth it. Well, if you've ever been to a bike shop ladies, you know where I'm going with this. It's either they're checking you out, or guessing you're gonna buy a ""girl's"" bike. I got this treatment from Mike's Bikes, and two other shops in Oakland. I heard of alameda bicycle from a friend of mine (okay, here's where it's ironic, she bought a ""girl's"" bike herself, so because of this I stereotyped them!). They were super friendly and enthusiastic, just like Kristi said. But get this, they really know their stuff. And they let me try out 3 bikes that they had. In the end, they didn't have my size, and I really was in the mood to buy. So they called around and found a shop that had it - Mike's Bikes. Needless to say, I decided screw it, and bought it from them. I waited a week, but it's worth it. They offer lifetime service, so I know I'm in good hands til my next bike (I'm gonna try tri next). So that's the 2 and a half cents. Pros: friendly, knowledgeable, respectful Cons: i had to wait a week to get my size more

Here's what I got to say. I don't take the time to review things normally. I expect good service already if I'm patronizing a place. And usually service stinks anyway. But I'll say this about Alameda Bicycle... I asked 2 of their employees if they were the owner. George was super in helping me out. He approached me with a too friendly ""how can we help?"" it took me a while to warm up to him, because quite honestly, I thought he was fake. It took me about 30 minutes to realize, he's just super nice and really went out of his way to answer everything. It was super busy that day, and he had to go back and forth with me and like 10 other customers, but he was always super courteous and patient. He knew his stuff, and I can't say that about most bay are bike shop employees. As I went to the bathroom, I got greeted by a mechanic, and we had a talk about my ancient rig I'm trying to revive. That's the second one I asked if they were the owner. Forgot her name, but she was real cool too. That's all I have to say. They have my business. Pros: Nice, knowledgeable, pretty store Cons: Busy! more

Not used to great customer service anymore. but they really do seem to care about getting me the right bike. I actually first went there a year ago for my wife, and they actually recommended another shop because they thought it was a better choice. This time around I went for myself, and they got me a nice road bike. Prices are decent, but they do have a price guarantee. I highly recommend them if you want great service. Pros: Service, ambiance, policies more