Tammy and Pat showed truly remarkable kindness to me when I brought my bike by yesterday for a spoke replacement! Tammy gave me some advice free of charge right of the bat, and Pat went out of his way to help me brainstorm how I was going to get to work the next day now that my bike had to stay over night. In the end, knowing I had a commute in the morning, they surprised me by getting it done same day, I couldn’t believe it. Excellent service and remarkable kindness.

I was looking at multiple bikes from different shops trying to figure out which one would best suit my criteria (given pandemic shortages & my constraints). This place blew me away — especially Eric — who curated a choice of bikes I wasn’t even aware of, gave me time to test ride all them at my own pace, and fielded my questions — probably a few hundred of them over many days — with the patience & wisdom of a Zen monk :)Honestly it was his attention to detail that made me get a bike from here vs. the many other east bay stores. Pat was great too. Overall the staff seemed happy to go further to customize the bike to my fit, than any other store. I really appreciate this at a time when demand is high and bikeshops don’t really have to try to sell bikes.

These folks are great!! I needed a tune up before a big ride and they made it happen with quick turnaround. Super professional, courteous, and non judgemental. Would 💯 recommend!

Great service, Will definitely use again in the future.

Ive been to most of the East Bay and SF bike shops, this is my go to. I am a home mechanic (more enthusiast), so I like to do my own custom builds. When I cant do something, or mess it up to no return, these guys come to the rescue. They helped me get a fork/headset installed, frame faced, fork mounting holes re-threaded, stripped bolts fixed, so I could get my Surly Midnight Special build done.I just came in for an upgrade to new hydraulic components and tubeless tires and everything is perfect. Because of the complexity of the install, it was a pro level build and took an extra day to get everything dialed in. They were super generous and gave me a deal for the job because it took a bit longer than expected. Talk about amazing service.They seem to have a good stock of bikes too! I always see someone test riding something awesome from Kona and Surly there.

My Brompton Electric refused to take a required firmware upload and after checking around it was determined that sometimes it takes a few trys before it will take. Hats off to Eric for sticking with it and completing the service while I was having my lunch. Oh yes there are some great restaurants near by!

I can’t recommend this place highly enough. I brought my E bike in because the speedometer was not working. They said it might take two or three days, however they called me after about a half an hour and said it was fixed. They also adjusted the gears, inflated the tires, and tightened the front wheel. All for $20! And they were wonderfully pleasant people as well.

Great service on a bike tune up. Friendly neighborhood shop that seemed to provide solid value for the price.

Friendly service. You tell them what you want and they pick out a few bikes for you and bring them right outside the store for you to test ride/check out. The website isn’t fully updated with stock so it’s probably best to come in person.

Bike store have a lot of culture. There are the down to earth community bike stores and there are the snooty status shops. This place is very down to earth. I have a shop of the snooty sort right next door but I drive to this shop.

The team at Tip Top is top-notch and the mechanics know what they are doing.Everyone was very pleasant to work with for a custom bike build from parts, and carefully accounted for any special needs I had for my configuration.Ill be coming back here with my business, and Id trust them with any bike.

I appreciated that on a busy day they allowed me to just use their tools to change out a flat tire myself instead of waiting for them to do it. Friendly and professional service.

The staff at Tip Top were super kind and helpful in a pinch (flat). They miraculously stocked the right tube for our Brompton Bicycle and let my husband borrow the tools needed to fix the flat ourselves.

Incredibly nice and knowledgeable staff. By far the best bike shop in the Bay.

Great service great peopleShop local, its good for you!

I bought an All City Space Horse (gravel/commuter bike) here in summer 2019 after shopping around for a while... I had visited 6ish shops in the SF when I lived there in 2018, and 6ish more in the east bay in 2019. Tip Top Bike shop lived up to its name. The staff were laid back and helpful, especially Pat. The next weekend I saw some of the staff at the annual race up Mt Hamilton and they were really cool. Great bike shop!

Best shop! I travel way across town, past many other bike shops, to bring mine here for work. I have a 30-year-old mountain bike frame turned into a daily commuter, and the Tip Top folks are happy to keep it running smoothly. This week they did new bars, stem, saddle, and pads. Theyve done everything else too: baskets, brakes, wheels and tires, drive train, etc. Even tho theyre not selling me a new bike, theyre happy to see me and maintain my rig. Smart people, real advice, good wrenching, never pushy. Strong family vibes -- they have kids sing-alongs in the shop! -- and their Sunday group rides are legendary, not least because theres beer afterward! When Im old enough to have earned an e-bike, Im coming here for it.

Great for flats and basic repairs, but Id never buy a bike there. Unfriendly owner effectively talked me out of buying a road bike from him.

Such great service and really fast.

After being under new ownership, I no longer trust this bike shop. They try to shadily up sell you on everything. Also, not particularly welcoming to women.Bear in mind a lot of the 5-star reviews on here are from over a year ago, not taking into account new ownership. The old owner was awesome!

Fast and inexpensive service! They were really kind and tweaked a few other things on my bike which were out of place aside from my broke pedal.

Friendly staff, proper social distancing observed, prompt service. Not too expensive like some other bike places Ive been to for repairs.

They provide fundamental service at a great/reasonable price! One of the best in east bay or entire bay area!Worked with John on my Cervélo P3. He did a great job on fundamental sizing of the bike and couple of repairs it needed. Turned it in 1 day earlier as promised..

I am so glad I found this shop. They have worked on my Brompton folding bike and on my Electric mountain bike. Both bikes were operating as good as new when they completed a tune up. Ive bought various accessories and parts from them, all good quality. The staff is excellent, competent and helpful. I go here for everything bike.

Tip Top lived up to its name. I went in looking for a helmet and expected to just try a few on and make a purchase. The staff was dead set on making sure I found the right one, brought out a dozen different models from the back, helped install different pads, looked for more colors, the whole nine yards. Will absolutely be returning for anything else I need.

I went in today for a wheel, and they had exactly what I needed and were able to provide quick and friendly service. The selection of bikes looked amazing. I would recommend them to anyone.

I just wanted to write about my experience purchasing my first electric bike from Tip Top Bike Shop. After researching electric bikes for a month, I decided to purchase a Gazelle Arroyo Elite from a dealer in Berkeley. However, a friend told me that the Aveny was all I needed to commute to work and ride around Lake Merritt. I visited Tip Tops website, reviewed their electronic bikes, called, and spoke with Shannon. She confidently told me that my bike was in stock, and waiting for me. I believed her and walked 1.5 miles to Tip Top to meet my new electric bike. Im very satisfied with my purchase and customer service at Tip Top. Thank you, Shannon!

Brought my bike here for a rear derailleur adj. and was told the entire cassette / chain / cable needed to be replaced ($$$$). Bike had less than 100hrs on it, only some chain wear. Was told they could do nothing today.I know enough about maintenance to be dangerous and knew this shop was price gouging during the pandemic. Tough since the other time I brought it here they did walk me through a solid rebuild on an older bike.Wound up taking this one to Pioneer and it was fixed in 2 hours for $35. Wont come back.

I went in with what I thought was a problem, it turned out not to be one. The folks there were nice and explained what was going on. As I had taken up a lot of time I asked how much, I was told no charge. They have become my go to place for all of my biking needs.

Excellent service with a welcoming vibe! Great selection, kid-friendly and an on-going asset to the neighborhood. The new owners are genuine, friendly and committed to the local community.

Good service and good people!

Great service by John and David on my new electric Brompton. My hundred mile service was due, and I couldn’t get back to my selling dealer for the free service. Tip Top being a new electric Brompton dealer was qualified to do the service and I was happy to pay them a few bucks for the required service. After John completed the service Dave did a follow up check and even cleaned my bike! My expectations were exceeded.

They did an excellent work on my bike and I could not be happier. Went above and beyond to even lubricate and tighten parts that they did not charge for. Jake and Peet are extremely knowledgeable about bikes and will take the time to explain and answer and bike related questions you might have. They really cared about my bike and let me choose what was best for my bike and budget instead of just trying to sell me parts.Lastly, this was the most cost effective bike shop in the bay area. Super reasonable prices. 10/10.

Service: these folks are always great when theres repair work to do on my bike that I prefer to leave to professionals. Good quality work, great turn-around time, reasonable rates.Parts: the prices are a bit steep for some things, but not egregious. This is mostly true of accessory items like lights and such, less so for critical items like chains, tires, etc. Probably exactly what should be expected to keep a good shop running in an increasingly expensive area.Bonus: in lieu of a shop dog, they have a shop baby, a little actual human one straight out of a Gerber commercial, which is probably more hypoallergenic, and definitely more entertaining.

Knowledgeable staff, outstanding hardware... this is a bikers shop through and throughThat rare experience where you know exactly what you want but dont expect anyone to have it but then they do? That keeps happening to me at Tip Top. I think theyre just a step ahead, but theyre not at all gloaty about it.

Very friendly and great shop. Brought my bike in on labor day to have the gears indexed and adjust and they took me in an hour before closing. Very affordable pricing for service and they were very friendly.

Immediately being greeted as I walked in looking for single speeds but they didnt have much of a selection. Still learning about bikes the gentlemen working there (Richard) gave me a quick rundown on the difference between single speed and fully geared bikes. Great to come in and just learn something before making an actual purchase. Wonderful shopping experience

I chose this bike shop to ship a bike from Oakland to my hometown. The mechanic did not take off the original shipping labels off the box chosen and the bike shipped to the manufacturer of the box used. It’s taken a week to track the box and now another week to ship back to me. I called to let the shop know their error and give the chance to make the right. No partial refund offered for their mistake. Great people to speak with on the phone though.

Great people and a great shop.

A little disappointed in my 100$ full tune-up out the box. They left me to ride away with an unsafely loose stem I had to fix, my bottom tube gear shifters are no longer indexed - they were before, and brakes loose. Otherwise friendly staff and everything else looks ok but this is pretty unacceptable for a full service

Charlotte, Pat, & the rest of the team are friendly, helpful, and informative. I recently bought a surly from them and was quite happy with the experience. They offer free service for the bikes lifetime, which is pretty great!

Richard and Charlotte are some of the more approachable bike shop owners Ive met. Their shop is welcoming, up-to-date and stocked with useful, normal lifestyle riding (plus some awesome tricked out rides).If you want a great local bike shop experience and want to be taken care of, I suggest swinging by Tip Top.

20$ to drill a hole in my rim. Said it was 15$ to change the tire but I gave him the tube. Not super friendly either.

Great bike shop! Purchased a Surly 2 years ago. 5k miles later, still going back for regular tune ups. Trust them to recommend only whats needed. Make an appointment if you need service.

Great friendly and helpful staff. Helped me equip my Trek DS with accessories that I neglected to buy in another state. Wheel locks, pump bag, bike lock etc.

This is my favorite shop in Oakland by far. The entire staff is really friendly too!. I came in having trouble with my bike and spoke with one of the mechanics named Brin, she was super cute and even more helpful! I needed help figuring out how my disc brakes worked because they always seem to get super squeaky after it rains. She showed me how to clean them off using rubbing alcohol then running a bit of sand paper over the metal part. She even showed me how to adjust them to make them tighter. Also I can remember his name but (they are really tall)he helped me pick out the best lock and showed me I needed a cable so my wheels don’t get stolen. I had no idea about the lever that makes them come right off and he didn’t make me fell dumb for not knowing. Anywho 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Because my breaks don’t squeak and my bike hasn’t gotten stolen.

Super helpful, friendly, and knowledgable. Always willing to go above and beyond to help you out. Have fixed things on my bike a number of times that aren’t even things they sold me.

Terrible experience here. Previous owners were great, but the new owners are extremely snobby yet also incompetent. Very disappointed.

Soaked to the bone after riding through the blistering rain I arrived at my destination. Charlotte helped me find exactly the helmet and lock I was looking for! After checking out at the register, the friendly staff offered to help install my purchases and even perfectly adjust the helmet to my head. 10/10 will go there again!

[Update August 2016]I have been to Tip Top bikes many times over the intervening years. Service is always top notch.Most recently I went in to help fix up my toddlers push bike. Not only did they end up spending extra time adjusting his helmet, etc, they also had 12 bicycle parts in stock!Finally, when my toddler managed to bend his front axle spoke, they replaced it from the floor model, no waiting.[Below is my original review from 2012]My wife and I just purchased bikes from this place and were thrilled with the whole experience. We chose Tip Top Bikes even though its several miles from our house (and there are 2 shops within a block) largely because of the glowing reviews. We were not disappointed.My wife and I are first time buyers, for all intents and purposes. Neither of us have purchased a bicycle in the last decade, and we havent done any serious riding. When we came into the store, after being given a reasonable chance to glance around, we were politely asked if we wanted any help. I asked to be educated on what bicycles were available and what the different styles were. The friendly man introduced himself as Richard (who I think is the owner) and proceeded to help us navigate through the maze of options until we both were completely satisfied with our bikes. He then spent the next 3 hours helping us (I am picky and took 4-5 test rides on different bikes) including going through gear.I never once felt pressured to buy, and even when he was convincing me to buy more stuff (like a lock I didnt think I needed) it felt more like a friendly bike lover offering me wise advice than someone trying to make a sale. He even talked us out of a few purchases that we probably didnt need (yet).Overall this was about the best experience Ive had buying something lately, and I will certainly be recommending Tip Top Bikes to anyone who asks. Not only that, their prices were very reasonable (and my wifes bike was even on sale!)To top it off, the very next day I decided I wanted a kickstand after all, so I called up the shop. They told me to bring the bike right over and theyd install it right away. I came in, got it installed (it felt like in under 5 minutes) and I think they only charged me for the part. Hooray for bikes!

Just went to Tip Top to discover that they have a new owner! David couldnt be more sweet or helpful. So glad to be able to feel good about patronizing my neighborhood store.

Super friendly and knowledgeable staff. Quick and attentive service. And now open Sundays!

Unbelievably great people and service. Tip Top certainly lives up to their name...highly recommend. Thank you!!!

Pete and Jake the repair guys are fun, knowledgeable, and professional. I usually get my bike back within a day, if its a quick fix I just go to BWS for an esspresso.The store has a great range of bikes and accessories such as locks, lights and helmets, that can fit your budget.Its so nice to have a bike shop within walking distance; its even better that I always have an awesome experience!

Great local shop. Both for sales and for service. They cover a lot but are experts with commuter bikes.

Knowledgeable staff, great variety, and a welcoming & inclusive atmosphere!

Called over the phone and they were very helpful. I talked to Richard and he knew his stuff. Ive been in the bike industry a while and he stood out.

Wonderful service, friendly, and knowledgable. Really made ordering and delivery of a custom frame fun. A gem in Oakland for your bike needs!

They rock. Ive brought in bikes I got from the flea market in terrible condition and they were able to do cheap, stable repairs that turned hunks of junk into usable transportation.

Quick service

I happened to have lunch nearby and needed a tube so I went in to buy one.I was charged $10 for one that other shops sell for $6, and was offered installation (a 2-minute job) for another $10. After I took it home and installed it it turned out that the valve was leaky.Nuff said.

I came to this shop on a Sunday to check out a Kona bike that I wanted. I called beforehand and asked them if they had the Dew Plus in stock. They checked for me and explained each size they had in addition to a couple alternative models that might suit me.So later that day, I headed into the shop and explained I called earlier about the Kona. They immediately remembered and one of the guys, Sean, helped me out in trying out a couple bikes. He let me try three models based on his recommendation in addition to the Kona Dew Plus I had my eye on. He was very helpful in explaining each feature and made sure to adjust the seat and pump the tires before each test-run.Once I narrowed my choices to two bikes, I spent a long time deciding, but Sean was very patient. When I decided on one, they started work on the bike, and installed my rear rack and U-lock mount for free. While I waited, they offered me water and some strawberries, because they happened to have strawberries.Much like other bike shops, they offer lifetime complementary tune-ups, reduced prices on repairs from faulty or worn-out parts, but full price on damages from personal mistakes, such as accidents or thefts.All in all, the customer service was top-notch. Ive had mostly negative experiences with other shops because of their unfriendly, snooty staff, so Tip Top Bike Shop was a great find.

They were great! Friendly, very helpful and professional!

I bought my Jamis elsewhere in 2008 and broke the frame this year. Jamis offered to give me a big discount on a replacement bike; Tip Top stepped up and ordered a bike model they didnt normally carry and got it to me incredibly quick. They give it free lifetime service and I just had my first one which was a pleasure. They like steel bikes like me and have a raw enthusiasm for biking that seems less jaded than some of their east bay competition. Ive been biking 3000 miles a year for the last 6 years and in that time Ive been a customer to many a bike shops. These guys stand out- I recommend them first when people ask me for bike shop advice.

Great local bike shop with an emphasis on urban commuters and biking with kids

Great service on my bike

Excellent customer service. Bright high vishelmets.

Really friendly, helpful staff who helped me get my wonky old bike back on the road without costing me a fortune,

One does begin to wonder what accident of history or evolution has left Local Bike Shop in such a sad state. Do their razor-thin margins force them into stupidity? Or are they naturally inclined to it? I dont know either way, but what I do know is you have to carefully inspect even the most trivial work to keep from being ripped off.I took one of my bikes here to get a rear pannier rack, and I let the guy pick out a suitable piece of equipment, and left while it was installed. This rack is within 1mm of the rear tire when unloaded, and when loaded (even with empty bags) rubs the tire. Which anyone could have seen. Theres no excuse for being so sloppy that you dont even notice that the item you are installing interferes with the moving pieces of a bicycle.So I recommend doing every little thing yourself rather than take your bike here.

Welcoming, knowledgeable, and dedicated. Outstanding mechanics, great selection of gear and bikes, and a warm friendly atmosphere.

What a great place, every time I go in the staff is knowledgeable and friendly, and for a neighborhood bike shop their prices are reasonable.

Great, patient and knowledgeable service in a good location. Prices can be a touch high though.

Ive been there few times, friendly service good prices. Will keep coming back when ever I need something for my bike.

Top notch bike shop. The kind of place that keeps track of things for you

Very good service

Extraordinary service by those who really know bikes

Theyre more than willing to help. :)

Very disappointing. 😕

An absolute pleasure! I just picked up a new bike and could not be happier.

Great customer service!

Helped me to find a replacement shifter cable. When the part I bought didnt quite fit, they replaced it immediately. At another occasion, they gave me a reflector for my kids bike trailer for free.

Pretty good service.

Felt condescended to.

Excellent service, easy to work with