Roll San Francisco

Update: They are now closed, but Kroyer Cycles the new place that Sam opened up in the Mission :)

Pros: is the only place in the area that’s open before 9 on a weekday; they had what I wanted and were able to fix my bike quickly, and did a good job.
Cons: you’ll pay a significant markup here.
Got a flat on my way to work and needed to replace the tire as well. This was the only place open before 9, so I walked over to check it out. They put on a new gatorskin, and did so quickly and competently. However, They charged $ 65 for the tire, and $ 10 for labor on it. Sports Basement has the same thing for $ 45, and will do the first 15 minutes labor free if you buy the parts there (this is a 3 minute job). Give it a pass.

Super friendly shop, good and quick service, flexible on pickup as they have plenty of storage. I’ve had a lot of work done there trying to fix a mystery gear shifting problem that turned out to be the last item fixed after multiple visits. They cut me a deal on the last services given I had a lot of work done that didn’t need to be after all.

I’ve brought my bike here three times so far. The first time i had a flat and they fixed it quickly. Second time i came in a little frustrated because my bike felt slow, they recommended switching to gatorskin hardshell tires and I’ve been very pleased since then.
The third time I came in because my bike has been skipping between gears ever since i bought it (got it new from marin, about a year ago). Other mechanics couldn’t isolate the problem and would just tune the bike for me. The issue would also arise again after a few rides. At Roll they took about 15 minutes looking and found that one of the links in the chain was flared out for some reason which was causing that link to refrain from engaging with the teeth. They squeezed it with a pair of pliers and the problem went away immediately.
I’ve always been pleasantly surprised by my experiences here.

Had a bike accident and my chain was knocked off so I limped over to Roll which happened to be open at that time. Matt was working; he was great, fixed my bike and was really helpful. It was cool to get such excellent service from someone after getting banged up on my way home from a ride.
I’ve been there a few times and it’s a great place. We’re really lucky to have them on Potrero Hill. Check them out. They’re the best!

This place is great. The service is always very friendly and they don’t mind you using the pump.

I’m not entirely sure why my experience was less than Sam’s five-​star average, but the service and treatment I received deserve a negative Unilocal review. I gave Roll a call to personally update them on my experience so they can improve, but after speaking to the owner, I think it’s best to post.
I purchased a new bike to be assembled (he charged 85) for basic assembly and safety check. When I picked up the bike, I think I could have done the same thing. The break pads were aligned on the tires (not the rims), the chains sprung off the rails within 1 minute of riding, and the seat fell off because it was so loosely assembled. When I asked him to ride the bike (which the price originally included), he said that «that is the price point of your bike, it won’t get any better than this.» Three weeks into riding, took the bike to American Cyclery after the wheel pin seemed loose, and they showed me that the pin on the front wheel was minimally tightened (the release came off at least 3 times in 1 week while riding). I was very upset at the time because the bike Roll assembled for me was unsafe to ride: brakes, chains, seat, and wheel release pin.
I’m no expert on bikes yet, but I do know what poor service is. Since visiting Roll, I’ve switched to Cyclery, who never commented on the «low price point» of my commuter bike. Cyclery fixed the bike, taught me, and helped without being denigrating or arrogant. I don’t know the reason for the poor service from Roll, and am happy that everyone else gives 5 stars because he seemed like a professional at first, but my issue is that the shop put out an unsafe and careless job on several levels, did not own up to it (rather blamed me/​pricepoint of the bike), and made no effort to acknowledge a chance to improve — and frankly, I don’t trust them with my bike, whatever its price point. There are some nice commuting Mercier’s out there, btw.

these guys are amazing. so fast and efficient in fixing my bike in just a few minutes!
i very highly recommend them. better than any other bike shop in SF
Stefano

Chain got tangled up on my rear sprocket and tweaked my frame. I thought it was toast, but somehow Sam salvaged it!

Sam did a great job on a tune-​up for my bike. In addition to all the typical stuff, he had several recommendations on tweaks I could make to improve my riding comfort. Very professional.

Love this place!!! Small local trustworthy — and Sam and Renatta know their stuff! They’ve done the bike rides like ALC and can give lots of tips and advice.
Sam knows his bikes and is masterful at making them beautiful.
Brought 4 bikes (tri, road) in and he cleaned them up, fitted me, added parts… reasonable cost and quick turnaround!
I often pop in to say hello — it is wonderful to support this local business!

Just went here to get my rainy-​season-​tires put on and it was great! They were fast and friendly, and had reasonable prices. I was on my way in 10 minutes, and have been riding happily all day.

Roll saved me after work one day from a flat tire. It happened in Mission Bay near the creek. Psssssssssssssss… (Boy was I up a creek.) I walked until I found this place by chance. The attendant fixed my bike asap and even traded me for a better front light clamp. And he didn’t even judge me on my bike or try and sell me a new bike. Just respect. Great dog in there too. Thanks!

I brought my Cervelo in for a quick tune up prior to riding Levi’s Gran Fondo. While the turnaround and communication was good, the workmanship on the shifting cables and the rear/​front derailluer was not.
The shifter cable was crimped in multiple spots and looked like it was jammed into the internal routing system. The shifting only got worse the more I rode and luckily I was able to finish the century. The folks at my normal LBS were shocked.
While I am sure Roll SF does a good job with commuter/​everyday bikes, I would caution against bringing in a higher end road bike, especially if your cables are routed internally.
I for one will not return to Roll SF.

Excellent place. I got my tire punctured on the CalTrain back home — on the one day I didn’t bring my repair kit.
Called them at around 6:30 from the 22^nd station telling them what was going on. The owner says that he’d hang back for me while I schlepped over the hill.
Long story short, they swapped out my tube and repaired the tire for only $ 15. I wished I could tip.
Great place, highly recommended.

I inherited 2 vintage bikes and both needed new tires, chains, tune up. I emailed their website and immediately got a email response and phone call from Renita. Set an appt for Wednesday
Pulled up in my truck, Javier came out and helped me unload. Reviewed what I wanted done, no sales gimmicks. Javier honestly told me my old steel Fuji looks good just tires and chain… and they may tune up the Maggioni. I wanted to change out the handle bars and Javier gave me a couple options. All prices are posted and transparent. Set pick up for Friday 330 and bikes were ready
They let me pick out the grips on the new bars. Sam and Javier were there with a very unbiased feedback throughout. The great thing is they do not hard sell, give options and listen to feedback.
Highly recommend!

Sam is the man, you know you are good hands when you can:
1. See beautiful bikes on the wall in varying stages of repair
2. Offered a bottle of home brew while the finishing touches are being completed on your ride.
3. Can watch classic races on the flat screen
4. Your bike rides flawlessly post pickup.
***Service based businesses live and die by quality of the work, he is one of the best.

What a guy! I’ve taken a couple bikes here to get tuned up, and he did a wonderful job for a fair price. I just bought a road bike at Mike’s Bikes, and despite dropping nearly 2k in one day on a bike and gear, not only do they seem to not recognize me when I come in, but they wouldn’t even fit me on the bike I just bought! Sam recognized me 6 months later, did a pretty thorough fitting for chump change, and swapped out my stem for free. At his recommendation I bought a new saddle elsewhere, dropped by the shop again and he installed it for me at the right fit, again for free. Any further adjustments I need will be done free of charge. Can’t beat that price.
After my experiences at a few other bike places in the city, Sam is the only guy I trust. I’ve got a 5 year service plan at Mike’s, but I’ll be buying gear here from now on, and will be taking other bikes here as well.
As a bonus, while he was adjusting my bike today, a guy from the Precita Community Center walked into the shop and announced that Sam had donated his time and materials to personally fix up a large number of bikes in various states of disrepair to benefit the children in the community. Sam was both humble and gracious.
The reviewer who called him snotty and rude must have been talking to a different guy. In fact, he’s one of the only bike shop employees I’ve come across who doesn’t seem like an insane and arrogant member of the Bike Cult. Bernal Bike, and by extension, Sam, are perfect examples of why you should shop local and independent.

After taking a rather nasty spill on some MUNI tracks, my bike (a steel frame Jamis with Ultegra components) was all out of whack. A friend of mine who lives in Bernal told me of some garage bike shop… so instead of taking my bike back to the big shop where I bought it, I took it here. Sam was friendly, looked at my damaged bike, told me the derailure hanger was out of alignment and its a fix included in a tune up (also my brake cables were actually too tight and my chain needed replacing and my wheel was a little out of true from the spill). Ok, so a tuneup and replace the Ultegra chain.
The price was good, the turnaround was quick — paid with a credit card via Square on his iPhone. I picked up my bike in my car on my way home from work one day, three days later I go for a little spin. OH SNAP! I owned this bike for 2+ years… had it tuned several times at Sports Basement — kept it in good shape by myself. But dude, I don’t know what Sam did, but it rides better than it ever did. The drive train, the shifting — everything was and still is incredible. Take your ride here… the man knows what he’s doing.

Sam over at Bernal Bikes is one of the few master mechanics working in SF. He has more experience working on super high end bikes (i.e. the $ 25,000 Storck carbon hardtail in the photos, drool) than most bike mechanics in California. But as the other reviews attest, he does beautifully thorough work on even the meanest craigslist beater — I know this from personal experience.
I take all of my bikes to Bernal Bike and cannot recommend the place highly enough.