Clown Dog Bikes

Hadn’t been to Clowndog in years. They still have some of best customer service around, and they helped me get my ride up to speed quickly and cheaply.
Years ago I was a regular, and everything not original on my bike was done by Bryce, so it was great to hear he’s still rocking it.
Can’t recommend these guys enough!

One day, I was over ambitious in my tires and over-​pumped my tires, ruining my inner tube or something. (What is bike lingo??). I’m a complete noob at bikes, and this was one of the closest bike shops to me. I came in around noon, and no one was around. He looked at my bike and was like yeah, I can get it done in about two hours. And I was like… wait, really? Because for some reason, I thought it’d take like three days. He was super helpful in explaining what he would need to repair. As I was leaving, about three more people showed up with their bikes. Anyways, my roommate happened to go there five minutes after I left. I ended up picking up and paying for both our bikes, and he even offered to help me put it on my rack. (Which I proudly rejected because there was a bit of a drizzle outside).
Overall, this place is pretty rad. I’ve already recommended it to other students to get their bikes fixed. No way am I waking up thirty minutes earlier to take the bus or walk to campus when I could get my bike fixed in under two hours and for a very affordable price. They’re honest, transparent, and friendly.

These guys are so well-​liked because they care about their customers and they’re passionate about what they do. And while I’m an experienced cyclist myself, I’ve been in the shop enough to see that they’re super-​friendly to newbies who don’t know what’s wrong with their bikes and just want to get their rides fixed. I like going to a shop where I don’t feel out of place because I’m just a regular guy who bikes around town, and not a triathlete or a BMXer or a fixie rider or whatever.

These guys are down to earth. I’ve never seen them try to oversell anything, and they have done a fantastic job at everything from using old parts that still have life in them, to installing new and crazy stuff that’s off the beaten path.
They are the kind of shop that makes Austin quentisentially Austin, big on service, perceptive, intelligent, with big hearts that beat a big fancy show room any day of the week.
They’ve worked on my bike, on three of my wife’s bikes, and soon my kiddo’s. We expect to be lifelong customers of CDB.

Super nice guys that are very knowledgeable. Brought our UT freshman’s bike in for a tune up and he hooked us up with everything he needs to for biking in Austin. We will definitely continue use his services. Shop Local!!!

I had a great experience at Clown Dog. Bryce was very attentive, he never tried to push me and my husband into buying anything. He also gave us some great tips about biking around Austin, since we are both new to the area. That was something that I really appreciated.
I also have to say that if you are looking to buy a new bike, and you don’t really need/​want something super fancy, Clown Dog is the perfect place to get a bike. I got a lot of bike for my money, and I am really happy with my purchase!

I’ve been to quite a few bike shops around the city and this is hands down my favorite. No snobbery here, just a real nice staff who knows their stuff and goes the extra mile because they genuinely care. Do yourself a favor and check this place out next time you need some a new bike, gear or need repairs.

I’ve been going to clown dog for years and this place is awesome. They have great prices and do a great job. I don’t think I’ve ever paid more that 20 for tune ups, etc.

These guys are amazing. Cool, friendly, helpful, and most importantly, competent. I have dealt with many of the bike shops in Austin, and Clown Dog is by far the best. My bike needed a major overhaul, and they helped me identify some possible replacement bicycles, and when I decided to have them do some work, they were amazing. Got me hooked up with a reasonable price, and kept me in the loop about the progress of the repairs.
Whether you need to buy a bike, get parts, or need repairs, don’t go anywhere else, just head over to Clown Dog bikes.

A quick glance at any of my reviews will tell you, I am verbose in writing. So, here is a short-​story and the long-​story, reference and enjoy whichever you prefer.
Short story:
I have never owned a road bike, and since childhood have preferred only 4-​wheeled vehicles, a skateboard or a car. Four days ago I decided I should ride a bike instead of drive as often as possible: exercise, environment, economy, etc. I found a proper vintage Schwinn on Craigslist for a total steal that day. I wanted new handle wraps. I was lacking in knowledge and resources to get it done. Youtube provided some basic tutorials. I came here the next day. I learned. I got it done.
Definitely check them out. They did not make me feel like a goofball for knowing absolutely nothing about bicycles but instead educated me without pretension or impatience, sold me a keychain they said I should have with a bunch of allen wrenches I totally needed and have been using for like just $ 5, and the other customers that came through are also cool and know what’s up and are happy to share information.
Long story:
I recently decided I’d prefer more exercise and would rather have more cash in pocket, and realized my aggressive driving style and preference to run the a/​c in the ‘ol vintage 5series results in way low gas mileage, so decided a bicycle made more sense for around-​town errands, as the skateboard is good for 10 blocks each way tops, and only if it’s level, and driving is wasteful if it is nearby and traffic and parking: blegh. Craigslist magic delivered to me a vintage Schwinn that reminded me of the one my father had as a child, but I needed new handle-​wraps and to make sure it was cool from a functional perspective. I am a DIY type of gent, and these folks are great. I picked up some handle-​bar wraps and I did it myself in-​store, able to ask pointers and got hooked up with electric tape to tie them off with which I was told is better than the flimsy plastic strips with brand icons the wraps come with, and some other little odds and ends that made it easier and come out better like goo-​b-​gone to get the bars glistening chrome like so I can get into Valhalla properly. It turns out my seat post is stuck, and they provided pointers and tools to try and get that curmudgeonly mamma jamma unstuck. After a few hours of hammering and tweaking and spraying penetrating oil, I failed, but decided the height is perfect after putting miles on. Five stars. Awesome, and totally have supported my decision to become a bicytaur, a half-​man half-​bicycle chimera of epic proportions capable of making left turns from the bicycle path across three lanes of active traffic like Moses parting the crimson tides. Without signalling.

Just got my bike back from clown dog bikes after it was in for a tune up. It rides like a brand new bike.
Came here after reading reviews and I’ll definitely be back for more future services.

Really good service! I have been here twice — once to replace a tube and tire and once to replace a tube. Their rates are very reasonable and they are extremely professional. They are bike experts (clearly) and have very helpful recommendations always. Both times the job was done well and on time. They always go the extra mile too. The first time they fixed my kickstand which was a little loose for no extra charge. The second time they gave me some extra valve caps and crimp-​on cable ends, again at no extra cost. I would definitely recommend them.

Best bike shop experience I have ever had. I bought my first new bike with them. I needed a taller bike that was not in stock. They ordered it for me and only made me pay after I tested it and was sure it was what I wanted. The staff is very knowledgeable and are some of the most down to earth people I have met. Really great prices (actually told me to go with a less expensive bike).

Amazing customer service. i walked in multiple times for small issues with my bike, and within hours they would have it fixed and call me back to pick it up whenever i can. Even though it’s been nearly 1 year, they provide free servicing which is simply amazing and i couldn’t have gone to a better place to buy my bike.

Awesome service on a flat tire I had, they also adjusted and tightened everything up as well at no extra costs and even explained how to adjust my brakes and do bar tape myself! Totally cool and humble guys not trying to take advantage of the uneducated college biker

The best service I have had in a long time. I had come to the bike shop when they were closed (Sunday) so I locked my bike to their rack with a note, crossed my fingers that they wouldn’t tow my bike. I came back Monday and there it was, the note received and the friendliest people I have met in a bike shop.
They replaced my tire tube, tuned my bike, imparted a wealth of bike information when I asked about certain parts all within 30 minutes. I mentioned I had a shifting problem and immediately, I was informed that there was a single bent link in my chain. He had observed this while changing the tire.
These guys are good! They will fix your bike fast, cheap and well (my visit cost ~$ 12)! It’s hard to find people that do their job well, do it with customer-​first attitude and are cool people too.
I forgot the bottle of bike-​grease (as I call it), and lo and behold, not 3 minutes after I left, they called me to tell me I had left it. Great people!

The other reviewers are right in saying parking is a pain. But lord is it worth it!
I came in on a Saturday afternoon to get some advice and a safety check. John was great! I got a tube replaced in no time at all. In addition to that, John helped me put a crank on to my vintage Soma and gave me a spare pedal and some metal bolts I was missing free of charge.
Clown Dog really puts the customer first! You can tell how much passion they have for what they do!

Came in to replace a tube on an old vintage peugeot, and although parking was a pain even at 10am on a wednesday this beautiful little shop was well worth it. First thing I noticed was the awesome soundtrack, and clean yet unique interior. This shop gave me a small town experience in a big city. The one guy in the shop got straight to removing my tire, examining the tube and discussing options with me. After 20 minutes of nice conversation I walked out with a new tube for 12 $ and new rim tape free of charge. I appreciated that he took his time examining my rim and tire for debris and gave it all a good clean down despite having two other customers waiting in line. His work didn’t seem rushed nor apathetic, a sign of an experience professional who enjoys what he’s doing.
The selection of bike accessories in the shop represents the integrity of the owners. Only the best equipment at an affordable price. No bells or whistles. Three options for bike racks (starting at 30 $) and two kinds of helmets, one of which was actually attractive looking (A rarity among helmets) (30 $) just to name a few of the many appliances. I will be back!

I cannot speak highly enough about the guys at Clown Dog Bikes! I would give them 10 stars if I could. If you live in Austin this is the place to bring your bike! They charged me far less than any of the quotes from local bike shops (and I called and stopped in at A LOT) and they brought my craigslist find back to its former glory in record time :) They went above and beyond in all aspects of customer service and repair! And they are open until 7pm, which makes drop offs and pick ups after work super convenient.
Now here’s a spoiler alert… I’m about to go on a super long tangent about all the «fun» my bike and I have been through in the epic journey to get a simple tune-​up. It may be slightly more exciting than watching paint dry, but I make no promises. All of the pertinent info was covered in the first paragraph, except the cost break-​down (skip ahead to the third paragraph from the end), so feel free to say peace out if you’re not in the mood for a story.
I purchased «Jenny» about 4 months ago from Craigslist. Within a day or two of riding her I could tell that she needed a tune-​up. The gears would shift when I didn’t want them to, or they wouldn’t shift when I did want them to, and the brakes were weak at best.
I started calling shops and stopping in to ones that I passed on my daily commute. The general consensus was that I would have to spend $ 40−75+ for some combination of tune-​up, new gear shifter, dérailleur, brake lines/​pads, etc.
One day a couple of months ago, while chatting with my favorite Cap metro driver, he was really putting the pressure on me to get my bike into the shop for a tune-​up. He was concerned, and rightly so, that if I put it off I was going to get seriously injured. He told me if I wanted a great shop with very reasonable prices, that I should stop by Clown Dog.
Super long story short (er)… I made an appointment the next week, got into a pretty serious bike accident the day before my appt (my bike and a pothole got into a fight and the pothole won, sending me flying superman style over my handlebars), called to reschedule my appt, didn’t want to go near my bike for a couple weeks, called to cancel again, felt like a chump, and just started riding my rickety bike again.
The guys were super chill about my flighty behavior and welcomed me back without judgement when I finally dropped my bike off this past Friday.
By this time:
1. My chain had started to fall off almost every time I was in 7^th gear, OH JOY.
2. My rear wheel was actually resting on my fender and not even 100% vertical, because the rear axle/​gear shaft/​something-​or-​other was jacked up. Riding wasn’t even an option at this point.
3. I had not one, but two kryptonite U-​locks attached to my bike with no keys to remove them.
4. And my poor wicker basket had finally given up the good fight. The only thing holding it onto my bike was the aforementioned U-​lock.
The guys assured me that with a quick tune-​up ($ 25) and potentially a rebuild to that rear thingamajig whose name escapes me (max $ 22), that Jenny would be in great shape. Add on $ 10 bucks a pop to cut the locks and the total quote was about $ 70 bucks. I wasn’t excited about the price but I knew it was more than reasonable and needed to be done.
Fast forward to Monday and Bryce calls me up with stellar news! The rear thingamajig just needed some tightening/​adjusting and was covered in the tune-​up. Since the locks were close to each other, the guys did me a solid and only charged me $ 15 to remove the pair. This brought my grand total to a little over $ 40 bucks. I was almost giddy. Since I was feeling a bit under the weather I asked if I could pay over the phone and pick it up Tuesday. They said to take my time and pick up Jenny at my convenience. When I arrived yesterday my bike was fit as a fiddle and they had even zip-​tied my poor basket back onto the rack.
Clearly these guys really want to provide excellent service at a reasonable price! They didn’t try to sell me an unnecessary bill of goods like all the other shops in town. They are very knowledgable and have their customers best interests at heart.

I wish I had discovered Clown Dog before now. I used to take my bike to where I purchased it, University Cyclery.
In order to get your bike repaired at University Cyclery, you have to make an appointment and give up your bike for a few days, depending on the work. Not only that, they guilt trip you into buying more accessories and try to make it sound like your bike is one sharp turn away from exploding.
Sorry, this is a review of Clown Dog, not University Cyclery.
So lately my bike’s rails had been shifting out of gear whenever I went up hills, thus thwarting my stride. I took my bike into Clown Dog and told them I thought I might need a new dérailleur (mucho expensive) and some new pedals. At this point, I was prepared to drop around $ 100.
(In case you didn’t know, bike shops make their money off of accessories and labor. Selling bikes doesn’t return much profit)
I even told the guy I needed a new dérailleur. Basically, I set myself up to be exploited. But no. Clown Dog’s bearded biker chose the ethical way out. He told me it was just my cable and that he could fix it in 10 minutes for $ 10. I was blown away. Not only did he offer to fix my bike now, I wouldn’t have to give it up for a few days or sell my body to pay for the repair.
I also bought some pedals and he installed those for me. The pedals were by far the most expensive item – true to form, but that’s okay, I know a humble bike shop has to make money somehow. Nevertheless, I walked out of Clown Dog impressed and pleased.
Clown Dog exhibited honesty and professionalism. For that it gets top marks.