Swell Bicycles

Team guapo! Thank you for working on my mtb, building my road bike, keeping my cyclocross bike race ready, getting my non-​tubeless tires to seal up tubeless, and a hundred other bike chores. You make the outer sunset rule.

Will and David are champs running a fine shop. They were kind, helpful and patient with me and gave me a fair trade on two old bikes I was looking to unload. Their prices are competitive, and if you aren’t a hardcore biker, aren’t picky, and/​or don’t have a ton to spend, they’ve got some excellent values to round out their higher-​end offerings. I picked up an excellent bike for my wife substantially marked down down because it had been rented previously.

These guys are great. Had me back on the road within a very short time. Very personable and taught me a few maintenance tips as well. Definitely my go to place for bike fix-it’s!

I’m not supposed to review this place because Will was an undergrad in the art department at SFSU when I was a grad student and lecturer there, and therefore I have a personal connection. Too bad. Will was an excellent photo and sculpture student, his only downside there was his TOTAL obsession with bicycles…
Well now, that’s an advantage. I brought in an old Trek 750 that had been languishing in my garage for years; it would not be reasonable to repair the drivetrain on it because it had a number of peculiarities about it. He gave me a good brand new rear wheel (& an excellent tire) and chain & tuneup for a bit over $ 200. (CAVEAT — I think he gave me 10% off on my first visit)(ALSO — I have been looking at prices of bike parts on Amazon and eBay — their prices are totally competitive) It’s a fine, older, US built chromoly frame and now I have a very smooth like-​new bicycle. He trued my old wheel and checked the new one like he was a piano tuner. It was fascinating to see — a bicycle wheel is a funny thing, making it just right is as much art as it is science.
If you want a bicycle that is the kind of beautiful machine that a bicycle should be; if you want to go to a bike shop to deal with people who genuinely know the art as well as the engineering of what they do, this is the place in the neighborhood to go. All those 5 star reviews are here for a reason. These guys are very skilled at what they do.

Couldn’t say nicer things about these guys. Fantastic shop filled with lovely, knowledgeable people who will go out of their way for you. What a wonderful addition to the neighborhood!

Always bring my bike here for any work needed. Today I needed to get my stock pedals replaced with clipless. Was having a hard time getting the stock pedals off. Brought it to the shop and the mechanic had it off and the clipless on in about 1 minute. Didn’t even charge me. Love this bike shop!!!

These guys are fantastic. Super talented, incredibly friendly, trustworthy, and quick.
Couldn’t be happier to have gotten a great bike here a few months back. Every time I come by, I leave even more impressed.

They are honestly the best. I’m not a bike aficionado and was looking for something to commute to work on. They took the time to talk through each piece with me and built me a bike that was reasonably priced, super fun to ride, and that supports local businesses. It rides like butter! Any time I have a question or need a little tweak to the bike, they are happy to help. Really great guys! A+ for customer service.

Super friendly helpful staff. They fixed my bike one and put up with all my questions, then it broke again and they fixed it the second time for free as a follow up.
Plus they have a dog named Guapo who keeps you company while they’re working so what more can you want from a neighborhood bike shop, really.

I recently bought a new Raleigh road bike (my first new bike in 15 years) and these guys were incredibly helpful and attentive. I’m a tall guy and needed to custom order a bike and everything about the process was seamless and smooth.
Everyone in this shop is super patient and just all around nice guys. You can tell that they actually care and want you to enjoy your bike and cycling just as much as they do. They take the time to answer all your questions make you feel very welcome and at home in their store.
If you live in San Francisco or the Bay Area and you need a bike or repair work done or accessories, this is the place to go. Local business with great people who love what they do. Swell rules!

What a gem! My daughter’s skuut bike needed new tires, so I ordered on Amazon. Little did I know how hard it is to replace those tires! So, I finally called a bike shop, on Judah. It was a weekend, about 340pm. The first shop was CRANKY and rude, they were closing in 15 minutes so I better hurry or forget it. And they charged $ 10 a tire. So I decided to try Swell. I drive by them all the time.
I walk up and showed them the tires, and this great friendly guy says «No problem!». He even found a hold in on of the inner tubes, and luckily had one in stock! So he swapped it out, put both tires on and I was out the door in under 10 enjoyable minutes for only $ 17!!! And that included the new inner tube.
These guys are friendly, knowledgeable and very reasonably priced! If you need anything bike related, this is the place to go!

Magical Bicycle Shop.

Great friendly service when I needed a new tire tube. Thanks!

Open Sunday!
Bent my rim late Saturday, walked up (carrying my bike) Sunday morning, they took me right in and had me out the door with a new (rear) rim installed and tuned my derailer in about 20 minutes for a very reasonable labor price.
Super nice guys, didn’t mind me asking questions and educating me on the process. Would definitely do business again.

This review is for the initial customer service experience at Swell, my bike is still being adjusted.
I was greeted almost immediately by the staff. Will took my bike and did a cursory exam, explaining everything as he went. When he found a couple of issues that would require some work he quoted the labor and approximate time it would take. Very simple and straightforward service at this shop, coupled with cheerful employees.
It looked like the store offered the standard bike shop fare in the way of parts and accessories. They also rent too, for those looking to do that sort of thing. A solid establishment so far!

UPDATE: I just want to write a follow up to say, the fantastic customer service I received on day one is still alive and well, at Swell. Since my first visit I’ve returned several times for advice, service, parts, and those odd moments in which I have absolutely no idea what is going on with my bike and it’s many moving parts. Each, and every, time I stopped in it has been nothing short of a very pleasant experience.
These guys are awesome!

I was over in the Sunset on my bike and just happened to see their shop. Didn’t know they were there. I was actually on my way up to DD Cycles to get my back wheel trued and thought I’d check these guys out instead. They took me right in and had me back on the road in about 20 minutes, and very reasonably priced.
Me, not knowing how to do much other than change my tires/​tubes and keep my chain lubed and clean, Dave was very personable and didn’t talk down to me like I was an idiot. I’ve had issues with breaking spokes over the years and they gave me a few good options. This will be my new repair shop

Dropped by after a couple months after my first visit here. Was literally going to just drop the bike off for a tune-​up and come back and just take their word for whatever needed to get done. If they told me my flux capacitor was worn out and needed to be replaced I would have just asked how much. I’m a sucker like that. I learned how to ride a bike but I’m still bike-​speak illiterate in terms of parts and maintenance.
Wil gave it a quick lookover and took some time to explain each check point and how my bike was in good condition with maybe the chain needing some work in a month or so even going as far to talk me into holding off on replacing it to maximize my investment. Then went the extra mile to show me how to properly lube and wipe down the chain to get the most out of it. All for the low price of zero dollars and a handshake.
Thanks guys, I will definitely be back soon to check my bike checked out again and for my future bike work. Very refreshing to find a local shop not out to take advantage of people and have their customers best interests in mind.

Updated review…
After a few weeks of riding, I am extremely happy and excited to be riding around town on my Brooklyn Bedford Bike, it looks so simple and sleek with its classic design and trendy accents. Loved it so much, my gf and her sister picked up two Brooklyn Franklins which have a shorter frame. We have taken these all over the place and we are having a great time.
Everytime we come to see the guys (and tucker, the swell black lab), we get great service and help. They take care of anything that we need and recommend settings to make our ride more comfortable. We will continue to come back here for anything bike related. Super stoked that they are in our neighborhood.
Keep up the great work

I loved this shop. I called two shops in the neighborhood asking about getting a handle bar basket for my bike. The first shop’s owner was very short, unpleasant, and sounded annoyed. He said plainly, «oh, you don’t want that. It’s a terrible idea. It will make your bike impossible to ride. But I have them. You can come see them. They are pretty nice.» I didn’t really know what to think, other than I didn’t like the guy on the phone. Now to be fair I have used this other shop several times, and was always helped buy a super nice younger guy, who was always super helpful and knowledgable. When I called swell, he sounded excited to help me and told me about the options he had. So I went in to have a look around 7:30 in the evening.
Turns out this super helpful and knowledgable younger guy That I remembered from the first shop IS THE OWNER OF SWELL BICYCLES!!! I was super excited when I walked into the shop and saw him working. I talked to him and he told me about opening his own shop and how much fun he was having. He showed me the baskets he had, I picked one out, and was done. While checking out, he told me about a free repair clinic he was teaching, that I sadly can’t go to.
The owner, Will, is very knowledgable, very nice, and very professional. I highly recommend going to this shop. Will has worked on my bike before at his old job, and he does great work. I recommend this place for any new equipment you need as well as repairs.