Bike Nut

To write a review is a moot point, since the shop is closed, but if the owner decides to go for another venture, then this might be useful.
My experience here was absolutely awful to start with. After putting together a really good bike for racing purposes, I had problems with the rear dérailleur — campy super record. I had to replace it, which when it was installed, shifting seemed off with the front an rear, which I had to take it back. After giving them the description of the problem, the mechanics «worked» on it some more to no avail. After complaining of the cracking sound the shifting made, I was told that it’s the characteristics of the group set, which probably caused Mr. Campagnolo to shift — get it? — in his grave. I ended up taking it to another mechanic, which within about a minute of tinkering, the problems disappeared. Magic! Well, that was the first problem.
I then went in for a fitting, after hearing good reviews about the guy, which I wanted to get the bike dialed in for races coming up. After spending almost three hours for the session, the first ride I went on caused such severe back pain that I called the guy up, and complained. I went back in to which the fitter looked at the bike and immediately told me that «the seat is too low!» No shit Sherlock! The same complaint I had when I gave him my feedback during the fitting itself, but he was not having any of it during the initial session. In the end, I just told him to get it as close as possible, in which I ended up dialing it in during a ride.
The reason I am writing this now is, I went to go remove the pedals for something, and just discovered that the damn mechanic tightened them so much, that it’s almost impossible to remove them. In order to have an empirical study on removal of pedals, I have successfully removed and put back on the exact same pedals from my other two bikes that I initially installed. I mean, isn’t it Pedal installation 101, not to put them on so freakin’ tight that it might crack the carbon crank?
Essentially, my experience at Bike But was text book elitist arrogance you see that’s prevalent in bike culture. Why have a customer servicey profession, if that’s so opposite of who you are?

Dropped off my $$ MTN bike for a $ 300 tune up and have my disc brake pads and tires changed. To start with, i couldn’t get the tire i specifically asked for on the phone before coming. Anyway, a few weeks later, i loose my rear brake system in the middle of a longer, rocky, quick and steep downhill section… no more pads, no more spring, no more axle or snap ring, everything gone, except for the front brake to stop. Definitely not what i was expecting after «the best tune-​up money can buy in the city». After inspection, the snap ring on the front brakes is missing too, signaling another catastrophic event is eventually coming, def the last thing anyone’d ever wish to happen. Don’t trust your ride with these *@$#% guys.

Sure it is expensive, but not worse than other places that I can get to while walking a non-​functional bike. I brought in a repair that turned out pretty simple, and they didn’t charge me! I asked if I could tip him and he said «bring us sodas some time.» I think I will.

I happened upon BikeNut while I was searching for a cyclocross bike for my girlfriend. They had the bike that she had been looking for so we stopped in.
After putting her on the bike, the staff realized that it was not her size. They took down her info and said they’d call the manufacturer to see if they could get her the right size.
It turns out that the bike was sold out in her size, but the new model could be ordered. The new model was $ 600 more than the previous and $ 600 out of my girlfriend’s price range. They offered to get the bike at a discount and hook her up with a fitting so took a gamble and went with it.
The gamble paid off. When her bike came in, I brought my bike along to see if they could fit me as well. JP spent about an hour with each of us and made our bikes fit like a dream. He answered all of our questions and took the time to explain the adjustments he was making. I’ve heard some ridiculous quotes for fittings but BikeNut’s were the most reasonable and JP knows what he’s doing. It was an investment in our bike riding enjoyment as well as money and time well spent.
JP and the rest of the staff were super friendly, knowledgeable, and patient. They did more listening than talking and no selling.
Although there are plenty of bike shops within a couple blocks of my apartment, I make the trek to BikeNut for all of my maintenance and bike (and sometimes beer) questions.
When I’m ready to splurge on a new MTB or road ride (They’ve got some amazing options for both), I’ll be going to BikeNut.

I lucked out… this place is my local bike shop as I live nearby in Cow Hollow… Given the neighborhood I expected the place to be snobby, overpriced, and altogether non-​compliant with my «beginner status» as a biker…
I priced around, and turned out their price was competitive with other bike shops, given their proximity to my place and the ease that brought me, it was a no brainer.
My sales guy (Ryan?) was excellent, very helpful and knowledgeable… you could tell he just wanted to stimulate my new found interest in biking… gave me a great price and a lot of tips on how to take some of the speed bumps that I would face in bay area biking…
the guy that helped me size my bike (priceless folks) was professional, courteous, and thorough. I have heard so many horror stories of adjustments and readjustments and trips and trips and trips back to the bike shop. this guy nailed it first time! unreal.
and Huseyin, this dude really cares. he is customer service driven and always makes an effort to help you out soon after you enter the store no matter how busy he is. he’s got a great disposition and again, no snobbery toward me at all. and I only bought the lowest end bike from these guys. it’s not like I bought one of the $ 10K bikes where I’m sure they treat you like royalty. just an entry level Bianchi yet they still help me out whenever I’ve asked…
It’s a great bike shop… are they perfect?.. no they’re human folks. I don’t know what this Duke K’s problem is, but he probably has an attitude and caught one of them at the wrong time… I think Huseyin’s email is actually pretty cool. I wish he’d offer to take a ride with me, I’d probably learn a $@#&load about biking!
I just hope they give me a good deal on an extended service plan! Huseyin hook me up man! Broke college kid discount?
BRENT

I’m a big fan of Bike Nut! Great service. Staff is super knowledgeable and my bike got fixed on the spot.

The below email was just sent to me by Bike Nut owner Huseyin. Now we know why its called Bike «Nut.»
Hi Duke,
H G. has sent you a message on Unilocal:
bike nut
«Hey Duke;
Do you want to go on a ride and „work out“ personality issues with me?
Huseyin»

Good overall buying experience, was looking all over the Bay Area for a Cervelo Soloist and called Bike Nut as part of that process. Was willing to work with me on price and then had a great fitting when I came in to purchase the bike. I would definitely recommend though I might shop around first to see what prices are available.
Hussein, the owner, was very helpful and courteous throughout the process as were others in the shop. Can see how they might be viewed as aloof, but I would definitely recommend them (and have) and will certainly look at Bike Nut for my next ride.

I love this place! The guys at Bike Nut helped me build two bikes (Cervelo and Ibis). The knowledgeable, courteous and friendly staff are a true asset to the biking community.
It’s somewhat oxymoronic to call a boutique bike shop economical, but before getting advise from them, I spent loads of wasted (eBay) money trying to cobble together bikes with questionable parts. The prices Bike Nut charges are more than competitive versus shopping online especially when you factor in shipping, waiting, returning etc. Not sure what other posters paid MSRP for — tire patches or water bottles?
I’ve gotten nothing but 5 star service — sound advice, cutting edge part selection, quality service and meticulous bike fittings — all reasonably priced!

Opinion can sometimes pass for knowledge. If you don’t know your shit, these guys can seem like two-​wheeled Aristotles.
I know my shit, and don’t liked to be bullshitted.

I don’t give out 5 starts lightly, but Bike Nüt earns it hands-​down.
It wonderfully spans the range of producing gorgeous $ 15k masterpieces of weight weenie genius to repairing your average commuter special. Indeed, the monster tire work bikes the shop keeps outside for local use says a lot that their love of bikes spans the range from work-​bike cargo hauling to boutique bikes. And if you have a fixed budget, they’ll do an excellent job of optimizing the package based on that total. They really know and love bicycles.
On the latter end, if you want high end lightweight parts, there’s no better place this side of Arizona. Anyone who’s a bike geek should make this a mandatory stop in San Francisco.
But don’t pass it up if all you need is a wheel trued or a tire replaced, either.

One star because they are knowledgeable. Another star for the blonde haired kid (Peter?) who is a super nice guy and very helpful. I hope the owner recognizes how cool the kids who work for him are. Another for good bikes.
The owner, Hussein came across a bit strong both times I went there. I actually heard him shouting at his crew «we’re going to sell a lot of bikes today, let’s move!» Or something like that. right in front of me. It was too much. It gave me the impression that he was more concerned about sales than bikes, although I could be wrong.

This place is like a strip joint only with bikes. You go in there and know you really can’t afford the merchandise and are just there to gawk and look. Luckly its not open late-​night when you had a few too many and credit-​card on you. If it were I’d be waking up hung-​over with an expensive «how-​am-​i-​gonna-​explain-​this» to the wife situation.
It has every conceivable best-​of-​category bicci item that you can think of and more. Check out their modified and stripped down Giants with the uberlight set-​ups (UCI would shut this place down if it could). Unlike some off the Unilocalers below I found the staff to be super knowledgeable and not snooty at all.
But with the pretty comes the pricey. These guys must be getting hit hard by Mr. Landlord because lordy is everything expensive. From the basics to high-​end expect to take it in the end. But hey, that’s the Marina for ya.

I went into this shop looking for replacement tires for my bike. They suggested I should buy the top of the line tires for my beat up old bike. $ 60 dollars each. Then they realized that I knew you could get a good tire for $ 25. The salesman started doing salesman stuff, «I’ll knock off five bucks if you act now «tactics. Oh you’re not interested, how about ten bucks.
I like it when stores sell things for fair prices. If $ 60 is fair, then sell for $ 60. Once you start discounting things on the spot the whole pricing scheme is suspect.
They did not offer let me look at the tires offered, they just brought them to me from a back room.
I dis-​enjoyed my treatment at this shop. Maybe it’s just too high end for a commuter like me.

I can’t believe that I haven’t Unilocaled this place sooner!
My wife needed a bike. Something good for the city, but light enough for long rides. We didn’t want to spend a fortune.
Bike Nut is the answer.
Insane customer service. Switched out the seat three times to find one that she liked. Adjusted every inch of the bike to fit her perfectly. Treated us as if we were buying a multi-​thousand dollar bike (we were not even close to).
As with any great business passionate employees make all the difference.

This review is strictly based on service/​staff interaction and does not encompass the buying experience or the bicycles on hand themselves.
I stopped in during my trip from Boston because I’m a huge fan of visiting bike shops when I’m out of town. I ran into a couple of employees there that I sparked up a conversation with and were nice enough to spend the rest of their afternoon past closing time chatting about San Fran and the area with me. Very friendly, very helpful staff who even wrote down some info for me and broke out maps to discuss neighborhoods. How many shops do you know that will chat with you when you’re not only not spending money, but will chat with you about things outside of the bicycle world too. Good vibe and good guys.
You’ll have to decide if they carry what you need or the right accessories, but the staff component is solidly there and that goes a long way. Happy to give them a big thumbs up from Boston.

self fairly fussy… need for specifics… wanting super flash rear light… not any flasher… rare crystal clear casing… weekend stroll through favorite shops… on display that exact rare flasher… last one and taking display…$twenty-five for light… typical price elsewhere… second, some wheel «jewelry»…u.s.e. spin stix titanium skewers… red and ultralight… mere fifty-​five gram set… perfect matching to shiny red wheel nipples…$one-hundred set… quite the fancy wheel «screws»…bike nut supplying ultra-​highend touches to bikes or building a complete dream bike to wildest pedaling imaginations…

Last autumn, I had an urban rite of passage I had been hoping to never face.
My beautiful Bianchi bicycle was stolen from my BART station.
Ever since seeing Bicycle Thief, I knew it was inevitable. I had been biding my time very nicely, however.
What a deflating feeling, to come off the train to see a big VOID where my bicycle had previously been parked.
Oy.
Well, they say you don’t really own a bicycle, you only rent one.
But isn’t that said for Beijing?
I was then faced with the daunting task of purchasing a new bicycle. Not as easy as it seems. First, I wanted to get a bicycle that was as close as possible to my stolen beauty. I was tunneled visioned.
My generous father offered to purchase the new bicycle, and I was put in charge of calling around. So I did. I Unilocaled bike shops and called quite a few. It was the point in the year where inventory was low to make way for the 2009 models. After trying my luck at a few shops, I called Bike Nut and spoke with Huseyin, the owner.
I was struck by his calm voice, which also explained to me that he did not have what I was looking for in stock at the time, but that I could come in and special order from Bianchi, and in the meantime he could lend me a loaner bicycle to get around. Quite the nice touch, icing on the cake. This seemed like the best lead so my father and I went in the following weekend to talk bike with him.
When we got there he remembered every detail from our conversation and before we knew it, we were ordering a brand new Bianchi Brava that was due to come in within a month. He let me take home the loaner bike on good faith. He outfitted me with some beefier anti-​theft devices, and threw in a seat change gratis.
A week or so before the bike shipped in, he and Alex phoned a few times to let me know the status and to schedule a time to come in. Everything about this shop and its customer service is perfect. If you are ever considering a high end bicycle, definitely check in with Huseyin and Bike Nut.
When you do, go for all the locks and chastity belts for your bicycle. It will hopefully save you some heartache.

I didn’t buy my bike here, but was most impressed by the friendly help.
Bike Nut sold out of the 2008 Giant FCR 3.0 bike I was considering (significantly cheaper than the 2009 model), but Alex actually offered to swap parts between the 2008 1.0 and 2.0 so I could get a good deal nonetheless. He didn’t pressure me to accept the deal immediately and let me get back to him the following day. When told I couldn’t afford the bike, he threw no prissy hissy fit and just said he’d be happy to offer his services in the future.
Thumbs up for that good experience!

My time at the Bike Nut was brief, but very positive overall. I just recently bought a bike (yessssss it’s pretty rad. I named it Bullet. It’s silver. And fast. Get it?) and it needed new inner tubes. So off I went to the Nut, and the staff was super helpful. The bikes inside looked, and were, really expensive, but you could tell they were all top of the line.
I know nothing about bikes, racing, or any of that stuff. I just wanted my inner tubes. And I got them. And now Bullet goes faster. Hooray!
I’ll def be back when I decide to man up and buy a new seat. Which should be later this week.