Tip Top Bike Shop

I’m going to be another of those joining the chorus of praise for Richard, Charlotte, and their staff. When I had a problem with the fit of a newly purchased bike, they went above and beyond in resolving it for me.
I don’t know much about bicycling, and everyone at the shop was more than willing to share their knowledge without any attitude. They also seem to carry a great line-​up of bikes, and are very detail-​oriented. I also appreciate that they’re willing to help the casual biker.
When I buy my next bike, this is the place I’ll go.

Friendly and unpretentious staff that love bikes and biking.
Great selection including surly, salsa, xtracycle, trek. And useful and relevant accessories for daily biking and commuting.
Friendly shop repair-​person who will help you dig in their bins for that one special little bit of hardware you need to complete a project yourself.
I’m very happy to have these folks as my neighborhood bike store.

On my way home from work this past Friday, the chain on my bike completely popped off. It was about 6pm and — being a novice rider — figured I would have to wait until Saturday to get this fixed. I saw that Tip Top was open until 7pm and was about 20 minutes from arriving — so I took a chance and called them. They were friendly and told me to bring my bike in so they could take a look at it — even though they were closing at 7pm. When I arrived, I was greeted and directed to the Bike Repair side of the shop. I waited patiently and at 6:40pm — one of the bike repair technicians looked at my bike. He fixed the chain and wished me a good weekend. I went over to the register to pay for the repair and the technician’s time — but was waved off — I left a big tip. After suffering through the poor service of Mike’s for years, I have found my new neighborhood bike repair store — a great reminder to shop local and support community businesses.

Thank you Tip Top for taking care of us! Great service, tune up & parts. Helped us out on the fly.

I was in the market for my first road bike. I had no idea what I was doing or what was best for my needs. After visiting almost every bike shop in the Bay area, Tip Top was the only bike shop who took the time to explain all my options and what I should be looking for in bike. I purchased one and they have been a real treat whenever I have a had a problem or needed an adjustment. Really friendly and knowledgeable staff. The free tune ups are pretty awesome as well.

I had a very good experience with Tip Top Bike Shop shop the first two times I brought my bicycle in for a tune-​up and conditioning. It’s a Trek, not an expensive, high-​end bike, but the shop did a good job of replacing worn and aged parts for my use of the bike. I took it to Burning Man 2 years ago, where a bike is the essential mode of transportation, though the playa dust is mos’ def’ not bike-​friendly! For that reason, it would be very unwise to bring a high-​end, expensive bike to Burning Man. So I brought it back to Tip Top 9 months after after the 2013 ‘burn’ and had the bike cleaned, oiled, and greased up in preparation for Cargo Cult, the 2014 Burning Man e’festival’. No problem! (Last year, I also added extra lights to keep it, and me, from getting lost amidst the thousands of bikes at Burning Man.) I didn’t have any problems at all with the bike. Once again, I called to schedule its annual cleaning and tune-​up in preparation for Carnival of Mirrors/​Burning Man 2015. This time, the woman I spoke to refused to provide the service without even asking to look at the bike. She said it wouldn’t be possible to clean the dust off at this point. I told her that Tip Top Bike Shop had successfully serviced it under the same circumstances last year. She refused to provide the service, without even looking at the bike. My conclusion is that Tip Top doesn’t want or value my business, so I don’t recommend this shop. I will have the bike serviced, and the shop I use will do their best to remove the dust again; that’s all I can ask of them, and I will accept the risk. But I will not recommend Tip Top Bike Shop again for refusing to provide the service.

We went to Tip Top to get my daughter a bike. We wanted one with training wheels since the balance bike did not work for her. The guy was very snobby about our wanting training wheels and was not very friendly. I don’t quite get the whole anti-​training wheel movement. Sure balance bikes may be better but if your kid cries every time she tries it, is that really helping her become a bike lover?
After being pretty much abandoned by the first guy, another guy asked if we were being helped. He was very friendly and told us about the used kids bike shop in Alameda. Thanks second dude for not being an elitist bike snob.

I like this place.
This is a very commuter-​focused shop. When I need stuff for commuting — parts for my around-​town bike, lights, cheap-​ish helmets, etc. I come here, and they’re always super-​helpful. When I need equipment or advice on biking with my two year old, I come here. The owners have a kid about the same age, so they’re even more on top of that sort of thing than they otherwise would be.
When I need stuff for my high-​end racing bike, this is not the place to go for that. It’s not that kind of shop.

As a recent bike commuter, I am slowly building up my knowledge about all things bikes. But, I am still pretty much a newb, so don’t ask me how to fix a flat or do any other repairs for that matter!
When it comes to visiting bike shops, Tip Top is my go-​to! Like many other Unilocalers wrote, everyone in the shop is über friendly and knowledgeable. Each time I’ve come in to the shop, I am greeted and helped immediately. They answer all my questions and put my mind at ease when I go riding. They’ve never tried to up-​sell me on anything and are respectful of my budget. I came in this afternoon to (finally) purchase locks for my bike. I got a U-​lock and pinhead locks for my wheels. The guy (sadly, I forgot to ask for his name) who helped me gave me the rundown on all the pinhead locks they have available and even installed them free of charge! Thanks for all your tips and advice on how to lock my bike/​where to lock it!

Incredibly friendly and helpful. Definitely the best bike shop experience I’ve ever had. Took less than 15 minutes and prices were great. My new go to bike shop!

Great shop. Super friendly and knowledgeable service.
This shop was incredibly kind and patient with me as I navigated the scary territory of purchasing my first bike, as an adult. I am new to cycling and have always bought used bikes from friends… never knowing the difference buying a bike that fits you and the type of riding you intend do mattered.
Everyone in their shop was warm, friendly, and helpful as I test-​drove many bikes. They helped adjust the bike’s seat-​height, types of pedals, and gave recommendation of gear I could get to improve the over-​all qualities of my rides. The sales associate was never pushy, nor did I feel like he was trying to up-​sell me on any of my purchases, he let me try out as much of their gear as I wanted before I made my final choice.
I felt like I left their shop with confidence in my purchase and the feeling that if anything should happen to my new bike I can come back and they’ll help me fix it, no problem.
Come earlier in the day on the weekends as they can get busy quick, and note that they do not do tune-​ups or fittings on the weekends.

I just got an overpriced rack put on my bike from this place. I subsequently fell off my bike when the back wheel locked up, and had to take it back. The dude then told me that it wasn’t the correct rack for my bike (even though he suggested it!) This whole process took more than 2 hours. Ridiculous. Don’t come here.

I wanted to like Tip Top, I really did, but can we just TALK about the customer service? They sell a lot of gear aimed at casual commute/​neighborhood riders, but then they’re condescending about doing routine maintenance or people wanting gear they think isn’t good enough. Dude at the counter, I don’t CARE that the bike racks with the spring-​loaded clip are less durable, because the clip’s enough for me to put a couple things in a tote bag on the rack without needing to carry a pannier or a pizza net. That is convenient! There is no call to condesplain to me about it, even if you don’t stock the thing I want! And yes, that one time my chain was all rusted out. I paid you to replace it! There is no call to roll your eyes at me!
This is by far the most convenient bike shop for me, they stock useful items, and they do good work. I’m really making an effort to go elsewhere these days, though.

I walked in on a random Wednesday morning with a new bike build and Tip Top was able to finish the job by the close of business that same day for an astonishingly reasonable price. Not only did they not make fun of me (to my face) about how horribly I put the bike together before Chad fixed it, I got a heaping dose of great advice from shop owner, Richard, on my way out.
This place is pure class. Top Top is the definition of a neighborhood bike shop. Even though the bike I had repaired was not mine, I guarantee I will be go back to Tip Top to purchase my next bike.

I want to love this place since it’s my neighborhood bike shop, but I just don’t. Spotty service — sometimes they’re really friendly, sometimes it’s like they’re irritated you came in to get your bike fixed. They focus on casual city bikers but they seem to look down on you for not being a serious biker. Have spent a lot of money here over the years, and just wish they’d figure out who their target audience is.

I don’t write reviews often, so it’s usually something extraordinary that draws me to sign in here.
I’ve had two experiences thus far with Tip Top, and I think it would be unfair to compare them to other bike shops. Better to compare them to other businesses that prioritize great customer service.
First experience, bike shopping, they didn’t have the precise size/​style I needed and instead of trying to push me into something else, let me walk out… much more informed and knowledgeable than I was when I walked in.
Second experience, walked in near closing time for service. I was greeted and engaged quickly by the service guys only to find out that they are booked out until January for service. I guess the secret is out. They were able to squeeze me in, with a quick fix get all my gears moving again, and diagnose a near-​future cable replacement.
it’s increasingly rare to find a business that prioritizes customers over, say, leaving on a Sunday afternoon. In 15 minutes they turned me into a longterm loyal customer.
Based on the other reviews this is not an isolated sort of incident. Great shop, great people.

Charlotte & Richard are amazing bike shop proprietors. They and their staff also helped get my bike ready for a trip to the desert.
I particularly love hanging out with their 1 year old, Anya!

Finding a bike is nearly as hard as finding a place to live in the Bay Area, and I’ve spent more time than I’d like staring at bikes. Charlotte was the first person to actually pay attention to me and not make me nervous to ask questions (this was my 5^th bike shop). It’s been a while since I’ve ridden, but she was super helpful, asked questions in a way that didn’t make me feel silly (but also got me to fess up to not really remembering how to shift), and let me test ride several bikes to get a feel for different geometries. She was kind, attentive, and incredibly knowledgeable.
The store is large, has a solid inventory, lots of accessories, and super clean. I felt no pressure whatsoever to buy (which I really appreciate), but if I ultimately decide to buy a new bike, it’ll absolutely be from her.

This is a great shop with a truly awesome staff. They were incredibly helpful in working with us to spec our new edgerunner and they managed to have it built in a day (it appeared they even surprised themselves on that one).
they have a great selection of accessories which are top notch products (thx for the Pinhead recommendation!) and their prices are very reasonable.
the entire staff spent plenty of time educating us on the bike (including how to keep it safe). We appreciate everything and look forward to being a long time customer.

Just bought a bike there with my fiancée. Her first adult road bike. I’m so proud.
After coming off a terrible bike shopping experience at some big box stores, I was really happy to find Tip Top. They carry all my favorite brands, Jamis, Surley, Salsa, so I knew at least from their brand list that I would happier at this place.
We went a few weeks ago for a test ride. OMG the staff is so nice. Made us feel right and home and not the least bit stupid about our bike purchase. They were able to talk right to my skill level, as I know a thing or two about bikes but am not an expert. Even on a busy day, it felt like each employee only had one or maybe two customers they were working with at a time, so the service was super personal. I would talk to them about what bikes they were putting her on while she was out testing them out.
Went back a second time a few weeks later to do a couple more test rides and hopefully make a purchase. She found one that was perfect for her, and we got all the necessary accessories for the bike. They were even able to throw on a kick-​stand and some pin-​locks while we were checking out, so the bike was ready to go in about 20 mins.
We got a 100 mile tune-​up/​adjustment, which they do for all their new bikes, and plan on getting a rack and fenders installed at that time, since they didn’t have the ones we wanted in stock.
I’m now totally jealous of my fiancée’s bike.