Bikesmith

This quirky dude knows his bikes, he’s passionate about them, and he will talk bikes to you all day if you let him. His pricing is reasonable and every time I have been in here he always has some money-​saving suggestion for me.

Friendly, quick and a lot cheaper than most of the dutch bikeshops. He charged 7.50 for service and he was done within 30 minutes. Great place if you’re looking for someone to help you with your bike!

This guy has had the shop running since the late 70’s. That in itself speaks of the quality of his work. There are some people posting on here that he may be rude but truthfully, I can imagine the quality of person who would write that he should «be happy when a few cute girls come in the shop». Go back to Orange County ladies.
So… I bought a bicycle to use on my first triathlon and it had some issues with the tires and gears. I brought the bike in and showed it to him. I told him that I heard he was the best so I wanted to see what he could do. Yes, I stroked his ego but from what some people said of his eccentricity I figured it would be a good way to start the convo. He was very kind to me and he knew exactly what to do and how to save me cash. Really?! Who does that? This guy does.
He took my bike, put in a new tire, and tuned it up. He also put on a water bottle holder and identified the make and model of the bike. Some 60’s era French make. I bought it for $ 100 so thats cool. When I came back to pick it up he even made some modifications to the bike for free. This guy is a true mechanic and honest businessman. I recommend him and his shop to anyone. Treat others how you wish to be treated.

Replaced a tire fast and cheap. Has everything you’ll ever need to fix or replace something on your bike. This place has been there over 30 years and I hope they’ll be there another 30 years.

If you read any reviews for this shop or in regard to Bob, please read this review, then read it again.
I have been into this shop twice, both times for basic questions and inquiries. I have looked over some of the other «reviews» regarding this shop, and Bob, the man that is there.
As for Bob having attitude? That just doesn’t make sense to me. I have never had an issue with him. In fact while i was in there today, two young ladies came in and were rude to HIM. He didn’t speak a rude word or even sing a rude tone in response. Nothing but patience. This makes me wonder about the other reviews stating he was «rude» or had «attitude». I’m getting the feeling they were from the college aged trust-​fund entitled types who think they are deserving of everything and owe the world nothing. If any of you naysayers are reading this now, I’m surprised you made it this far without hurting your brain, but go be useless somewhere else because adults are conducting business.
Bob has PASSION about what he does. He is a bike mechanic. He is there to FIX your problems, and he is good at it. Very good. He is not there to make you laugh or kiss your @$$, and he wont. Nor will he try.
He can talk bike for days. If you ask him questions, you will get detailed and multifaceted responses. You will be educated. He will NOT try and rip you off. I know this to be true because he said «no» to me purchasing a new chain when it wasn’t needed, and instead recommended better and cheaper alternatives.
Bob has character and integrity. I’m not surprised that some of the younger more entitled kiddos cant appreciate nor even recognize a quality business owner when they see one.
Keep it up Bob, and don’t worry about the haters.

Bob is a mechanic. Not necessarily a people person, but he knows his stuff. After going to two bike shops down the street, they sent me and my particularly unique issue down to the Bikesmith, and I can tell why. I had an oddly sized workman’s wheel with a snapped axle and missing some components of the hub/​coaster brake. (He explained to me that my foray into bicycle mechanis trying to mod the coaster brakes was the killing blow. should have come to the pros first)
Bob wasn’t sure if he could or when he could, but he managed to reassemble the entire coaster brake with parts he had in his shop; he also replaced a few nuts and added an extra long axle. All in 24 hours, too. Very impressed!
Don’t be put off by his eccentricity if you have a complex issue, he’s the man to solve it! If you just want a ditzy blonde girl to pump up your tires, go elsewhere.

This place is great! The owner goes the extra mile with care and maintenance. I took in my Wal mart genesis cruiser for a tune up and he turned it into a new bike. It rides better then when I purchased it. I highly recommend the bikesmith. I’ve been to two other bike shops in PB and this one is by far the best. His prices are competitive and turnaround time is great. I took it in on a Wednesday & it was ready by Friday even though I told him I’d be gone till Monday. Give him your business, he deserves it!

Doesn’t open until 10, but Bob, the owner, and I think the only one working in the shop. Very knowledgeable of the care of bikes, was in the navy and works alone.

I went in there just the other day after visiting Pacific Coast Bicycle. Which was nice, but was mostly filled with trendy junk for beach cruisers.
Long story short, we took a stroll to the Bikesmith, and not only did he have better prices (12 $ per tire vs 16 $ at the other store), but he also knew of the bike. Of course it started with some conversations of reminiscing of the old Motobecane he used to own, but he also gave me some good advice on piecing the old bike back together. Not at one minute did I think he was rude though.
He also, didn’t try to sell me on the most expensive parts he had in the shop. He told me that I probably didn’t need anything that fancy so he left me with the cheapest option he had. He deserves respect for looking out for my interest over his own wallet.

My cruiser was in a sorry state. A year of mission beach living left my bike rusted so bad it’d looked like it had been thrown in the ocean. My spikes were so brittle you could snap them with ease and don’t get me started on my chrome fenders. It was so screwed up I couldn’t even ride it. So off to the bikesmith.
The owner was amazing. Took real good care of my bike and for a reasonable price. I had never had my bike fixed before so I am unsure as to what other prices charge. Also, it was a little more than what I had hoped, but for a year old bike cruiser that needed new wheels new chain and a serious deep cleaning– it was so worth it.
I also wanted to comment because I did not experience the attitude issues of other tellers.
I definitely recommend taking your bike here. Support the local people!

Prior to going in here I read that the guy was rude etc… I think he’s just a little socially awkward, not rude at all. Kind of like the people in IT when they fix your computer. He was very detailed and knows his stuff and although I spent maybe 9 bucks he spent a while answering my questions and giving me suggestions. I would definitely suggest this shop for your repairs.

Bob is great, super friendly and accommodating. He got my bike back to me really quick and didn’t charge an arm, or a leg. I’m sticking with Bikesmith for my cruiser needs :)

Great service. The owner was really nice and helped me fix my bike cheaper than another place I got a quote from. My friend bought a really cool bike from there and was really happy too.

It seems that some may overly complain about the owner’s personality rather than actual work and results. Bob is endlessly knowledgeable, and has a fine attention to detail you couldn’t get at fancy chain stores for twice the price. I first came upon the store after getting a flat tire in the neighborhood. He didn’t just replace the tube, but discovered the uncanny reason for my popped tire (a catch on the metal frame itself because of worn down tape.) If he didn’t kindly tape up my frame, I would have inevitably experienced the same problem. Bikesmith gets extra kudos for being green and resourceful – saving reusable parts, and offering them to customers for lower price than new parts, when they need a replacement.
If you’re done with fluffy personalities and crude workmanship, give the Bikesmith a try. The years of experience Bob has speaks for itself.

Wow, I must admit that I am shocked to see the negative reviews for Bob and the Bikesmith. I have been bringing my bikes here for more that 10 years. Bob always goes the extra mile when working with you. He suggests repairs that are needed and tells you which ones are not. He has also on a number of occasions suggested cheaper ways of doing something than I originally suggested.
The only downside to the Bikesmith is the size limitation and how busy Bob gets. The neat thing is though that regardless of how busy he is, he has always squeezed me in.
Lastly and what is my biggest prop for Bob is I have been bringing my mountain bike here post Burning Man for 4 years. He is able to reverse the trauma of the playa and make the bike ride like new again.

While others give this place negative reviews because they seem to expect the owner to either do things for them for free or give them special treatment because they think they’re cute, I have taken my bike here a few times and always been happy with the service.
Bob is good at explaining what the problems are and what my options are. He also has often done extra cleaning or made adjustments/​improvements that weren’t part of the work I was paying for, which is nice.
I also have compared his prices with other nearby shops and found his costs to be very fair.
The only downside is that he sometimes has a big backlog of repair work, especially before holiday weekends, and that can mean it takes him a few days to get to my bike. But I guess he wouldn’t be so busy if he didn’t do good work at a good price.

I am all about supporting my neighborhood shops, especially those smaller, NON chain type of places. With that being said, I WILL NEVER GIVE THIS MAN MY MONEY!!!
I went to him once to get an estimate on replacing the tubes and tires on my cruiser… he quoted me over $ 80!!!
Also, I asked him if I could get some air in my tire and he told me that HE CHARGES $ 2 PER TIRE FOR AIR!
What a bastard!!! I mean, seriously.
Walked my bike across the street to the gas station and got it for free, then went to Discovery Bicycle, where they charged LESS THAN HALF THE PRICE for repairs. Oh, and they don’t charge for air, either.

The man at the shop was very rude. I thought he’d be happy to see two cute girls come over. Not only did he say he couldn’t help us until the next day, he even discouraged us to go to other bike shops!
Luckily there’s another bike shop across the street just a block or so down garnet towards the beach.

I agree with Scott C. The guy (Bob) who opened the shop this morning was a complete jerk! First of all, the sign posted on the door says the shop opens at 9:45 but that sometimes Bob has issues opening on time. I’m assuming Bob opens the shop late every day so I don’t know why they don’t just change the posted hours.
He finally opened the front door at 10:15 and proceeded to roll out some racks and tell me to move out of the way, all while asking me what I needed. I could already tell he didn’t have any interest in helping me but I told him all I needed was some air in my sister’s road bike’s flat tires. He told me that there was an Arco down the street where I could get a coupon to use their air pump. Well I can’t be certain but the last time I checked, Arco isn’t the kind of place to carry an adapter for a Presta valve.
I asked him if he could just do me a favor and put some air in the tires and told him that I don’t have access to my own pump at the moment. He kept trying to convince me that going to Arco would be a good idea. Finally he said that he could inflate my tires for $ 2. I have been to several bike shops in the past that have been more than happy to inflate my tires and they usually end up seeing something they don’t like and taking care of it free of charge. Those are the kinds of places that I gladly return to and give them my business! Not this guy! He obviously doesn’t care how he treats his customers and couldn’t be bothered to help me out. $ 2.00 is not a big deal, but when it’s to put air in tires and the guy treats you like garbage it becomes a HUGE deal.
Bottom Line: Do not give him your business! He won’t appreciate it and you’ll be treated poorly!

I hate to diss the indy bike shop, but I must speak the truth.
My friend and I rolled in here (barely) this morning at 10-​ish, he with a slow leak. The owner immediately got on our case about my friend’s leaning of his fairly nice road bike against a beater cruiser. Say what? Let that slide.
Then we ask for a tube (to buy) and a floor pump, so we can just add some air and be on our way, possibly allowing my friend to make it home before the tire goes flat. At home he can use his floor pump, not a CO2. Makes sense right?
Owner says, «go outside! you can’t change it in here! it’s a conflict of interest! we change tires in here, for money»
WTF?!! We’re buying a tube and asking to use his floor pump. NOT changing the tire (and thus robbing him of $ 7 or whatever, apparently).
Probably a misunderstanding and/​or he got up on the wrong side of the bed, but man, what a jerk. We bought a friggin’ tube, after all. Lame.