Cyclepath of San Mateo

Fairly small shop found on El Camino in San Mateo asked the gentlemen working in the back if they have a replacement for a 27.5 tire 605t he took a look at the tire I had in hand he stated sorry sir I will have to order that tire for you, did I need it today or can I wait two days, he also suggested possible areas in the area that may have this specific tire in stock for replacement,
Shop was neat, stacked accessories mostly on the left side, in the back he has his own workers bench for bikes plus some other bikes in the back it seems are in line for tuning. He may have not had my replacement tire but he was very helpful on places in the area that may have it, I will be back if I need more info about bikes or accessories for bikes
bikes ???depends what your looking for
service ***** very helpful and informative
ambiance **** smaller shop, neat, slightly dark

I’ve been in there maybe 3 – 4 times now and every experience has been wonderful. The owner is clearly knowledgeable, deals with the issues right away and charges very reasonable rates. A couple times I went in there and he refused to charge me (the repairs took him a couple of minutes, but still, I thought it was decent of him) and he even lubbed my chain for free! I definitely recommend it. I only go here from now on.

I’ve been going to Cyclepath for a year now. About 2 years ago, I got back into serious cycling. I bought my first road bike (not from CylcePath) but off Craigslist. A friend recommended Arkady and CylcePath and I’ve since done a fitting and a tune-​up there. Arkady had a wealth of knowledge that he’s eager to share. HE KNOWS HIS STUFF ABOUT BIKE AND CYCLING. I love spending time with the guy; I’ve learned a ton from him on bikes, bike types, brands, technique, etc. He doesn’t put on a sales pitch. He often has steered me away from unnecessary work and repairs or expensive items that wouldn’t fit my need/​style of cycling objectives.
Its unfortunate that some reviewers here describe Arkady as «rude». He really isn’t. He’s a no nonsense guy and yes, English isn’t his first language. He doesn’t dance around stuff or put on a «sales pitch». CyclePath carries top brands and its definitely not the place to go to for a «cheap» bike. That much is true…
I’m planning to buy my second bike and I know I’m going to get it from Arkady.

Folks,
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Arkadiy since April.
I was very out of shape and had decided to purchase a bike and get back on the road and spin. I researched options and landed on the Cannondale Bad Boy 9 for my location, purpose, circumstances and budget. Cyclepath was my local Cannondale dealer. I ventured over and met Arkadiy. We chatted, I explained my goal and budget. He looked up the bike and agreed for $ 760 it was perfect. He ordered it, put it together, got me the all the necessary ‘bits and bobs’. 4 months later I returned 40 pounds lighter so grateful for this man. I screwed some things up to which he quickly corrected and educated me. He is the ‘Obi One Kenobi’ of cycles and I have recommended him to numerous friends and coworkers who are cycle enthusiasts. Everyone one has echoed my sentiments. He knows his trade better than any and is a man of exceptional character and someone I’m proud to call my friend.
A few things I’ve heard and like to retort as I feel I’ve earned the right. If you drop off your bike for service and disappear for over a month, you should expect to compensate him some on storage, he has a small shop and lots of work. It’s not like you wouldn’t expect to park your car at SFO long term and not pay something after 30 days. Then to try to negotiate the little fee he asked for that was totally fair, is petty in my book.
Next, if you come and tell him your budget is $ 500 and he says he really has no options and you should check Walmart, he’s simply being realistic. If you go to Walmarts and drop over $ 700, don’t bash him because you originally told him $ 500 at his shop and ended paying up more at Walmarts. Look at me, I got a awesome bike from Arkadiy and Cannondale for $ 760 and someone to service it and help me achieve my goals and someone I can call my friend to boot!
I road a lot when I was younger and bought a beautiful road bile in ’84 from a friend who was a rider and raced for the Bulgarian team. He sold me a bike he built for cost if $ 2k. I’ve held on to that bike ever since. I’m getting ready to have to shipped out and cleaned and tuned up for my next phase of getting back into spinning. In short, I won’t let anyone else other than Arkadiy touch those wheels.
Happy trails,
Matthew

Read the fine print: AVOID. I had a similar experience as others with the rude, insulting owner. If you leave your bike there for longer than 30 days, be prepared to negotiate to get it back. Plenty of other bike repair choices without having to worry about dealing with him.
Over the summer, I brought my old, generic mountain bike for a tune-​up which I was told would be $ 85. My bike was probably not even worth that, but it needed some work. As we were traveling, did not return to get it for a few weeks. Apparently, this was a big mistake, and an insulting exchange followed:
Him: «What does this say?» Pointing to bottom of the sales slip.
Me: «I don’t know. What am I looking at?» I was looking at a couple initials scribbled at the bottom.
Him: «What does this say?»
Me: «I’m not sure.»
Him: «WHAT ARE YOU BLIND??» This was an actual quote.
Now I see he was pointing below initials to the fine print that read «Not responsible for items left for longer than 30 days.»
Me: «Oh, I’m sorry about that, I didn’t see that.»
Him: «I’m going to have to charge you a storage fee.»
Me: «How much?»
Him: «I don’t know, a lot.»
Me: «How much are you going to charge me?»
Him: «$ 30″
So, apparently now I’m negotiating to get my bike back because he’s not responsible for anything left longer than 30 days.»
Me: «I’m not paying that. The bike is not worth $ 115. You can keep it.»
Him: «…»
Me: «I’m sorry I didn’t realize the 30 day thing, I’ll pay you $ 15, but not paying more than $ 100 for this bike.»
So, ended up paying $ 100. Probably should have left it. Either way, will never go back.

I came in to Cyclepath for the first time last week to get my pedals changed. I am an amateur rider. I don’t do many miles. I want comfort more than performance. The owner was very friendly and, you can tell, really knows his stuff. We ended up striking a long conversation and I stayed there a while, chatting.
The whole experience was extremely positive. I got some great advice from another local biker who came in while I was there.
Prices are great. Quick, expert help and a great price. What more can you want?

This is a great local bike shop. The owner is very knowledgeable about bikes and he is thorough with repairs. He gives great advice and honest opinions about bike components and gets repairs done quickly for a reasonable price.
The shop isn’t big, but they stock a lot of great bikes and components. I don’t know what else someone could want in a local shop.

I was in a jam last weekend with a bike that desperately needed new bottom bracket bearings and I was in Half Moon Bay. I rode to San Mateo because the bike shop in HMB laughed at the thought of fixing my bike the same day. Arcaidy fixed my bike on the spot and was friendly and personable. Super, super service.

The owner, or whoever he was, went out of his way to be rude. I had about $ 700 to spend on a road bike and had tested out some nice on-​sale bicycles at Performance as well as Mike’s (in Palo Alto).
So when I walked in, I asked whether he had any women’s road bikes for around $ 700. A simple «no» would’ve sufficed. Apparently he doesn’t appreciate people being straightforward about what they can afford. Showing what he thought of both my bank account and my commitment to cycling, he chuckled and told me to go to a department store «like Wal-​Mart.»
I’m happy to report that the next day I bought a beautiful Specialized women’s road bike at my friendly neighborhood cyclery in San Mateo, Talbotts. For $ 715.

As much as I Unilocal,this was one of those cases where had I listened to Unilocal reviews, I might never have come here. It’s a small store that is ran like a small mom/​pop shop with a knowledgeable and nice owner. If it’s your first time here, call ahead to make sure the store has what you’re looking for (or can order what you need) and/​or the owner has time for you.
I needed to get my road bike assembled and get a basic fitting. I’m a beginner cyclist, and after reading many Unilocal reviews, wanted to avoid one of the many places that looked down on beginners. I called around a bit and settled on Performance Bikes in San Mateo (4.5 stars). The experience at Performance Bikes left something to be desired, and so after having the bike assembled, I wanted to go elsewhere for the fitting.
Cyclepath had 3 stars and a mixed bag of reviews. However, two people I knew highly recommended Cyclepath and raved about Arkaidy. I called Cyclepath to schedule a fitting and was told to just drop in right when he opens on Saturday morning as to avoid the rush. To my surprise, I got more than a fitting — I also got a great lesson on form, advice on where to ride, and tips on using my bike. In addition, the price for the basic fitting was actually cheaper than at several other places I called.
The whole experience took a bit longer than I’d expected since it was only one person working. (Although in comparison, there were 5 people working and 5 customers at Performance Bikes and it still took some time to get anyone’s attention there). While I was there, a couple regulars and a few new people also came in. One regular told me he comes up from Sunnyvale because Arkaidy is the only one he trusts with his tri-​bike. At one point, there were 6 people in the store and it felt pretty cramped. I’m thankful I called ahead so he wasn’t busy when I came in. I can see how if Arkaidy is busy when a customer arrives, it’ll feel chaotic. If you have a bit of time and patience, you’ll find a great bike shop that can make you a better biker.

I was a first time Customer with a flat tire and treated like I was a regular. The place has a new owner so ignore the pre 2010 reviews. I was expecting to leave my bike but he fixed it on the spot for me and the price was reasonable.

Got one repair here. Was double the estimated price and they never have my old parts back. Don’t go here.
They also treat you like you know nothing about bikes. Good selection of parts if you just want to slink in and out. Or you enjoy waiting forever for the dude to finish talking to his buddies.

I came in to get my road bike assembled and fitted and ended up leaving with a great experience. I’ve been riding a hybrid bike for quiet a while but had no experience or knowledge about road bikes. During my fitting Arkadiy answered all my questions. He explained every aspect of the fitting; why certain parts were measured. He explained what the proper form is. I had an unlimited amount of questions and he provided all the answers. I left with a great amount of knowledge that i didn’t possess prior to my arrival to the store. I definitely got a lot more than i paid for and I would recommend him and his business to all my friends.

*Ever since I walked into this store, the owners Mike (young guy) and Arkadiy (older gentleman who could still crush me on the bike anyday) treated me with the utmost respect and provided me with superb service, it only gets better from there. There is something special about smaller shops compared to bigger stores like Talbots or Performance bikes, the attention and service you will receive here is absolutely top of the line. Another outstanding quality Cyclepath of San Mateo has to offerover any other store and chain is that they don’t push you to buy «x» amount of items per transaction or push you to buy a bike you know nothing about. Mike only recommends products that he truly knows much about, and that is why most of the products they carry are durable and of the most excellent quality. I also bought my Beautiful handmade in the USA Cannondale Caad9 from here, Mike tells me that all the bikes he carries are tested by himself, he would never carry a bike that he has tested and cracked. Arkadiy on the other hand is an individual of great knowledge and filled with wisdom. He has taught me a great deal involving the world of cycling, history and just enjoying life in genera. These guys are the best in my honest opinion, I received my fitting from here, and I have so much pride in my new ride, in addition I love the numerous compliments I get about my bike. Both of these fine men carry out the

I have been here a few times to get various things fixed. While always trying to sell me more expensive stuff, Arcady always fixed my bikes properly got it done quickly and professionally while reasonable pricewise.
However, last time I came in with a broken spoke, he didn’t put it in the right way around, which I understand impacts the stability of the wheel. Not sure if it was laziness (didn’t want to take the cassette off) or what (not incompetence as this guy is highly competent).
Won’t be going back here.

I would agree with all the negative reviews. I just called this guy and he did not listen to me when I said I wanted a Cannondale bike. Avoid this place. Who needs a bicycle shop with attitude?

I’ve been in the shop a handful of times and have probably spent $ 100 or so. Not big money but enough to get a sense of their customer service.
The good? Arcady is well known as knowledgeable, experienced and can out fit you in some really high end equipment. The bad? Fairly snobby and downright aloof if you go in there with gear you didn’t purchase at his shop. For example, I was having problems with my road shoes causing numbness and I went in looking for expert advice and to spend some money addressing the problem. I figured maybe I needed a custom shoebed, cleat adjustment, different socks, whatever. He looked at my shoe, my foot, asked where I bought them (not at Cyclepath) and then said I don’t know what to tell you. I asked, what do you recommend as a next step? He just repeated himself and simply walked away to deal with another customer, without another word to me.
I really wanted this to be my local shop but I’ve given up and now take all my business to Summit Bikes in Burlingame for higher end stuff, Performance in SM for lower end stuff.

Cyclepath San Mateo has a great selection of mid to higher end road bikes. I have had Arkadiy work on my road bike and my wheels and his work is always fast and first rate.

I decided to give Cyclepath a try despite the low reviews because some of the more current reviews mentioned they had a nicer owner. If that’s the case, then I feel sorry for anyone who had to deal with the previous guy because this guy who was in the shop today was absolutely terrible!
I came in and the owner was talking to someone and neither of them acknowledged me so I couldn’t tell who the owner was. Then after some looking around he goes «Can I help you?» I told him I’m shopping around for road bikes but I wanted to compare a few. I also mentioned I wasn’t really sure what size bike I should get yet. He immediately tells me that the only way to know what size bike I should get is with a bike fit, but a bike fit is a few hundred dollars, but would be free if I bought a bike from his store.
PUH LEASE. I know what a bike fit is, and I know I don’t need to get one before I buy a bike. It sounded stupid. Then he asks me what I want to buy. I tell him I’m riding a steel frame and would want an upgrade, but unsure of how much I want to spend. He responds, «You tell me how much you want to spend, and I’ll tell you want kind of bike you’re going to get.»
I thought it was kind of rude. So I just left. He only had about 10 – 20 bikes on the floor anyway, and some of them were clearly used so it just threw me off.

My boyfriend and I walked into this shop open minded and excited to be shopping for a new road bike. We left bitter and pissed. We are young and not decked out in expensive cycling gear, but we are lucky to have more than enough money to purchase any of the supposedly «premium» entry level bikes in the shop.
But the guy working there apparently had already determined we were too poor or too ignorant to afford any of his bikes and sent us back onto the street after a 10 minute lecture on how every other shop in the bay area was shit, sold shit, and how we should return only after we rode shit, so we could tell the difference.
After that pep talk we were so disgusted we went home rather than visit another shop and risk dealing with anyone like him again.