Refried Cycles

I came in to fix a bunch of things on my vintage road bike — folks were super friendly, helpful and really well priced. Wish I discovered this store earlier!

Favorite neighborhood bike shop. Everyone is always super nice. I’ve been here several times. The repair/​parts prices are the best I know of and they often fix things much faster than other places or even on the spot. I’m a bike nublet but they always explain all the things to me: D

I like this place and I like that they sell used bikes and components. The staff is friendly and helpful, too.
This is where I picked up a used (but in like new condition) single-​speed a couple of years, that got me back into cycling, after many years out of the saddle.
Thanks!

So, this is subjectively the best bike shop in San Francisco.
My criteria for calling a bike shop the best are as follows:
1) They want to teach you about bikes
2) No weird attitudes (or jargon)
3) Excellent value for your money
4) They supports the principles of community
5) Provide services in a timely and transparent manner
Refried is meets/​exceeds all 5 criteria in my book. Most import is how they meet #4.
San Francisco has always been a thought leader when it comes to reuse and minimizing impact on the environment. Most bike parts are extremely durable and can be serviced and made ready for reuse with a small effort. Refried specializes in this kind of creative reuse economics. Refried educates the customer in a very low pressure manner and reduce the impact of consumer behavior on the environment. Essentially, they embody the best qualities of the culture of San Francisco. They also build SAF Bikes. var saf = ‘sick as fuck’.
Second on my list meeting these criteria:
Bicycle Kitchen

Just had yet another awesome experience at Refried. So chill, so good at what they do, real pleasure to work with. Fun to browse the cool classic (and reasonably priced) bikes on sale too.
This is it. Your quest has ended. You’ve found the perfect neighborhood bike shop.

Really friendly local bike shop. Everyone here really care about biking, and helping customers pick out some great used bikes.
Really love the bike I bought from there. They had a decent selection of nice hybrid bikes for getting around the city. You should check in frequently to see their current offerings

New favorite shop for all my cycling needs! Adam and Aubrey are awesome.

Aubrey and his Team at Refried are tremendous. I damaged my Salsa Colossal’s derailer in an accident and Aubrey took the time to both problem solve and strategize about the repair. He is a great proprietor: professional, knowledgable, and he clearly takes pride in his craft. The shop is mellow, unpretentious, and everyone is friendly,(particularly to puppies)! I look forward to working with and supporting Refired Cycles again.

These guys are fantastic. Got some maintenance done — super friendly, unpretentious, helpful, flexible, accommodating, competent. I’ll be back!

Bought an Urban that had likely les than 250 miles on it for $ 350. Bike likely would cost $ 1,000+ if off the floor. Staff is cool.

Great service!
I had to check in a three times to see what frames they had that would fit me. Each time they had something close to my size but just not perfect. But I work around the corner and wasn’t in the biggest hurry to get a new bike so it wasn’t a problem to check back in. On my third visit they had the perfect frame for me. They worked with me to build it out to fit my needs, switching where the gear shifts were, the type of handle bars that would be comfortable for me and all the other little details.
The turn around was very fast and they were always friendly and helpful.

Aubrey and Vanessa (names?) were super nice. The shop is cute, great location, and lots of cool authentic bikes for sale. Mostly steel bikes, which is what you want in the city!
Great to see an option in town for people wanting steel with more character and at a lower price point than, say, a new Surly. Or for folks wanting something better quality and less ubiquitous than a Public or Linus.

Service was ok, selection was quite low. Budget starts at around $ 400 – 450 here so keep that in mind! Also I wouldn’t have even been able to leave with my bike the day I came to look at it since they still had a week’s worth of work left to do on it so don’t go here if you need something right away as there’s a risk you’ll have to wait.

After going to many bike shops and dealing with many bike snobs that didn’t really help me, I was so relieved to find this gem right around the corner from where I work.
Aubrey was super helpful when it came to helping me pick a bike and showing me what I needed to get it going. I am so glad I came here because I got exactly what I wanted and felt really comfortable there.
I also didn’t have to wait very long for it to be ready, I was in there Tuesday afternoon and I received a call Friday afternoon letting me know it was ready! They replaced the brakes, handlebar, the tires, the gears, gave it a tune up, etc and I am not totally broke either.
I am totally going to recommend this shop to my friends for all of their bikes needs.
Aubrey is awesome!!!

Refried is the best.
Along with dropping by occasionally for supplies, I have had my super scratched-​up, banged-​up, early 80’s Univega (otherwise known as my pride and joy) repaired here a couple of times at very reasonable rates.
On previous occasions I was able to drop the bike off and receive a phone call a day or so later letting me know I could come pick it up.
On one particular Tuesday I dropped by and my little beauty was fixed up right on the spot! (We had just had an altercation with an automobile the day previous and Valerie was happy to reconnect the brake cable and make sure everything was tuned up, oiled, and ready to go.)
Although I have noticed that the employees seem friendlier with each visit, it is my opinion that there is more to customer service than just saccharine smiles. These people know bikes and are highly recommended; it seems that whenever the topic of bike repair comes up, someone mentions Refried, and I am always happy to chime in with my positive experiences.

A few months back I sold my car and bought a refurbished Centurion at Refried cycles and swapped a few things around to my fit my needs and I’m very pleased with their work. I had a problem with my shifting on the way home from a long day, stopped by the shop 20 minutes after closing hoping someone would still be there and sure enough Fergus was there and kind enough to help me out before my journey back home! Today I walked my bike in cuz I got into a little fender bender with a car. Short on funds and in need of my bike Aubrey found a practically new tire, tube and new rim to get me back on the road. Long story short they’ve got a great thing goin at this spot! Quality work and reasonable prices they seriously might be the only affordable shop left in the city.

These are the nicest people in town. Aubrey is such a wonderful, giving man. My kids come in with their bikes and all kinds of silly requests and Aubrey treats them like kings, and maintains their bikes wonderfully. Note, these are bike people, and not Embarcadero lawyers. Enjoy their stress free bike people vibe. I sure do.

I have NO words for my experience earlier today. I got there at 11am when they were supposed to be opened to try to sell my bike. The girl who worked there rolled up at 11:10 to open the store (the late part didn’t really bother me, and little did I know it was the least of my problems with today’s experience). I said hi how’s it going? She did not reply, which I clearly thought was kind of odd. As she was opening the store I asked if they bought used bikes back. She replied in a bitchy monotone voice, «sometimes.» I said «oh okay well do you think you guys would be interested in this one?» Her reply «I don’t know my boss does all that.» I said, «oh okay well is he here? Her reply «No.» I said «okay do you know when he will be in???» She replies «just sometime later.»
This is literally WORD FOR WORD what happened this morning, no exaggeration. I am baffled by this rude, bratty little bitch. She was a miserable, horrible excuse for an associate and I will be telling everyone about this experience. I have been in customer service all my life, and am truly appalled by this girl.
The sad thing is, my family and I have purchased 3 bikes from this store in the last year. NEVER AGAIN, simply because of her. This terrible experience was straight out of a movie.
Note to the owner: having this girl on your staff loses you customers– I’m sure I can’t be the first one and I definitely won’t be the last. She is unhelpful, bitchy, rude, not to mention late (and 3 people were waiting outside at 11 and then left before she got there).
Just…wow

I ride an early 80’s Miyata One Thousand with a bunch of good quality original parts. One of my Suntour drop bar shifters stopped working… I’d have to hold the lever in place to keep it in gear. I’d brought the bike in to a handful of other bike shops, asking how much it would be to repair the part. Every time I asked, the answer was, «a pair of Shimano shifters that’d work on your bike run about $ 100.» No one offered to attempt to fix my old Suntours… until I happened upon Refried.
Aubrey said that he had a collection of old parts and that he’d probably be able to open the shifter and swap out a spring or something. I returned the next day with my bike, dropped it off and strolled home on foot, expecting to hear back in a couple of days. Before the sweat dried from my brow as I entered my apartment, I received a call from the shop, letting me know that my shifter was functioning and ready to go. I asked how much, they said $ 8.
The next day I came with eight bucks and some IPA’s for them. My original shifter, fully functional. They’ve been getting my business ever since — even with 3 – 4 other bike shops between my home and them.

I am new to SF and was looking for a bike. I paid $ 700 for a nice light steel framed nishiki that had been refurbished. The owner was friendly and helpful. I was willing to purchase the bike right there but he suggested I take it around the block first which was a nice gesture.
It’s been two months now and I have to say ride the bike every day and love it more and more. I haven’t had any problems of note. If I did — the owner insisted — I could come back and he would remedy the issue.
I guess if one wants to brave the wilds of craiglist they might find a better deal. But I think positives of buying a bike from a local shop that clearly wants to make a rideable bike on a reasonable profit margin gives the bike a little extra good karma IMO.

I’m all for refurbished bikes, as all my 4 previous bikes have been refurbs, but $ 500 for a refurb is too much, which was maybe the lower-​average range of prices I saw. I could buy a brand spankin’ new bike for that much, with a warranty and a year of service. I guess it’s the price for a more vintage feel, which is why I loved my previous bikes. I’d always get compliments on my 50’s Schwinn… I miss you, boo.
Also small shop with limited selection. I could see this as a good place to go for parts and servicing though. The staff seemed really nice.