Lakeview Bicycle

I took my friend's bike for repairs. He's been going through difficult times and had left his bike on his balcony for over a year. As a consequence, cables and components were rusted and the bike was covered in pigeon droppings. I cleaned the bike to the best my abilities, and took it in for repairs, willing to front the cost of a full makeover in order to help out. The guy at the bike shop was friendly when I brought it in, and he took a couple of minutes to inspect it so as to give me an estimate: $250 and 8 days. I agreed to that. 14 days later, I dropped by and asked about it, and he said he was just going to get to it, it would be ready in 2 days. I went back today, 3 weeks since I brought it in to ask about the status. He said he's almost done with it, just needs one more day. I saw it sitting by the wall in pretty much the same state I brought it in. I asked him what he'd done so far in the three weeks since I brought it, seeing as I didn't see much change, and he said he's been diagnosing it. After thinking about it, I told him I'm going to take the bike back, as I don't do business with people who will lie to me in my face. He didn't respond, so I asked him, "You lied to me, didn't you? You haven't done sh*t with it. This whole story that you've been working on it is a lie, isn't it?" His reply: "You got me". He did look mildly uncomfortable about the situation, but that's about it. I told him that he should be ashamed of lying to his clients like that. It's very unprofessional to lie to your clients. Once he's lied to me, I wouldn't trust this guy for any job. I mean, it would have been easy for him to say "My apologies, I haven't gotten around to it yet and I will put it at the top of my list. Please come back tomorrow." That would have been fine. But really, who lies to brazenly and obviously to their clients and still expects their business?

Fast and Efficient service! Replaced the inner tube on my Voyager ebike. Very reasonable price for service! AAAAAA++++++ highly recommend!

He's quick, he knows what he's doing, he does a great job, and he's fair. Highly recommended.

Bought a bike here, great service & a good bike. Had a small issue with the bike but was fixed quickly and at no cost. Thanks again!

This was the first bicycle shop I visited when I first moved to Oakland back in 2014. Charlie was always helpful and a life saver during times in need. I'm not really in the area to go here anymore, but your bicycle can and will be serviced!

Took my very simple ebike in for a tube change on Thursday as I had a flat tire. Was told the service would take half an hour and came back after that to retrieve my bike. When I came to the store my bike was lying on its side by the front door unsecured- it would have been very easy for someone to snatch and grab it from the store. Upon leaving the shop I noticed that my bike’s electric gear switch button had been broken off (it was intact when I gave it to the shop) and a ceramic ornament I had on the back of the bike had been removed (it was not returned to me). I was not anticipating my bike would be further damaged and stripped by this shop when I came in for a tube replacement. The store itself is flooded with bikes in disarray and does not have a clear path to walkthrough to even get inside. The tube replacement cost 33$, which is fair for service and materials, but I was not anticipating the lack of care and damage that was done to my bike when I brought it in. The back wheel when it was put on the bike after the tube was replaced was not secured properly and had an intense wobble I had to sit down and fix myself. If you break something or lose something on a bike, communicate it to the customer. Don’t leave it for me to realize later how bad of a hack job you did.

Fairly expensive, but they have a free bike pump if you find yourself out and about with low tire pressure

Since moving to Oakland in 2013 and bicycling more regularly, Lakeview Bicycle has become the only local shop I trust. The owner, a fellow named Charlie, is honest, direct, knowledgeable and helpful. He is a no-bs kind of person. Because of that, and because he's helped me out on so many occasions, I have become his shop's loyal customer. I take all my bike business to him. Frankly, I would rather travel 3 mi down to Lakeview Bicycle than go back to the shop 50 yards from me in the Laurel after multiple dealings there left me with doubting the integrity of its owner. If you're looking for a bike shop in Oakland, I recommend you also head down toward the Lake and visit Lakeview Bicycle.

I have been going here for many years. The service is always great, the owner is a very friendly guy and I highly recommend the shop. he has worked on many of my bikes over the last few years.

This shop is a treasure for people who need someone knowledgeable, helpful, and trustworthy for bikes. It's not a "pretty" store with overpriced services and products. This is a spot where you would want to go regularly to have Charlie give you his thoughtful and thorough insights or just get your bike tuned up. I was looking to get a nice road bike tuned up that I inherited, but after talking to Charlie, I realized I needed something a little sturdier and bigger. He wasn't trying to sell me anything, and he actually made less money on the initial transaction by helping me out. In the long run, he has gained a local customer who will refer friends to this great shop. Support local, fair businesses! BIPOC

Very knowledgeable and honest in a handy location. I need 85 characters to post this.

Charlie tuned and fixed up my 12 year old Surly Cross Trek and it now rides like new. The price was much lower than the estimated quote he gave me when I dropped my bike off. The work was timely. I highly recommend this local shop.Thanks so much, Charlie!

Always great customer service!! Knowledgeable and definitely my go-to for any bicycle needs or repairs.

Have been here 3 times for a tune up. Each time it cost me well over $100 and over a week to get back, even though communications had been made that its a commuter bike. Every time. On my last drop off, a commuter stopped in, clearly knows the shop owner and requests a tune up, shop keeper tells him to come back tomorrow. Meanwhile I'm harassing him a week later for my bike... Frustrating service. I also noticed that my bike has a bump in it now when it didn't before. Riding it feels terrible. Going for another tune-up elsewhere. For prices and lead time - there are better choices in this area.

I gave this guy my bike for him to tune up. He said it would be done in a week. I went back 2 weeks later and he said he wasn't done. I went back ANOTER 2 weeks later and he hadn't even started it. Moreover I called the business multiple times and nobody ever picked up, also the inbox was full. Clearly this place has very limited staff, but the lack of consideration as to not give me a call and update me, as well as completely underestimate the time it would take was ridiculous. I could have been riding my bike for a month if I took it somewhere else. DO NOT GO HERE! Waste of your time

Excellent service. I needed to have the Shimano bottom bracket replaced on my Fuji Absolute Disc 1.1 bike as one side had gone loose and refused to tighten (turned out it was broken internally). I had called another shop and they said I had to schedule a repair 10 days out. But after calling here and told to bring it by the next day, I did and they repaired and replaced the bottom bracket that afternoon. Super!

Best friendliest local bike shop. I few good about supporting the owner and love seeing his baby and wife at the shop. Owner has generously done stuff for me and always ready to help when I've had an issue and been on the road

Great place for a tune up and dudes always in a good mood. Great bike shop. My bike was fixed within a week.

I have no knowledge on bikes so I decided to bring my mtb here for a simple chain installation. I brought my own set of new chains and were told they were too short and I needed to purchase a new chain, so I did from here. Days later as I rode the bike, the entire chain popped out and I took a great tumble going down hill. Upon inspection, the chain was never put through the chain tensioner.This time around I brought it to another shop where I was actually told the chain popped off due to the length being too long. So in the end I purchased a chain from them for no apparent reason, and the shifter they installed for me barely shifts. Fairly nice people, but their knowledge or maybe lack of attention to detail costed me money, few scratches and a lump on my chin for 2 weeks.

Great for safety and this place is a legit bike repair place - not hoity toity- the main guy is super nice and honest - super cool bare bones shop with great location.

Charlie & Lakeview Bicycle has been my bicycle "mechanic" for many years. I wont take my business anywhere else as long as Lakeview is here! He is trustworthy, knowledgeable, sincere, customer focused, smart, creative, talented, & an all around upstanding citizen. The icing on the cake is that know matter how long I have been away, the minute I step into his shop greets me by my name! What is not to like about going to a shop where everyone knows your name?. Charlie is a gem in the bicycle world & a cornerstone of the Lake Merritt/Grand Ave community.

A great shop. Super helpful and not snobby. They want to get you up and running and don't act like you're wasting their time if you don't come in with an all carbon race machine.

What a friendly, expert bike shop! The guy was super friendly, welcoming, knowledgeable, communicative, and helpful. He even let me watch him change the tire and explained each step of what he was doing so I could learn. I'm not a fancy biker, and too often bike shops are staffed by cooler-than-thou bike hipsters who seem too busy to give us regular folk the time of day. Not this place! It reflects our wonderful neighborhood in all its egalitarian, inclusive, diverse beauty.

This seems to be a nice bicycle shop, although my experience is limited to the bike rental portion. My best friend and I rented two cruiser bicycles (with adorable little baskets, beeteedubz) for three hours for $15. Charlie, the owner and gent who assisted us, was helpful and accommodating. Charlie offered us locks and helmets for our bikes free of charge, but we were living dangerously and decided to go without. We rode the bikes all through Oakland and I was worried that we wouldn't get back in exactly three hours, so at two and a half hours I called the shop and Charlie was very relaxed about the issue, saying to make sure we were back before close but not to worry. I would absolutely rent from this shop again and plan on doing so very soon.

Let me start off by saying that I've lived by Lake Merritt for several years but I've really never found my "local bike shop" in this area. Today I dropped my bike off to get some brake pads replaced. Charlie (Charly?) was very helpful, friendly and straightforward. I picked my bike up a few hours later and I was very pleased with their work. It would appear they tightned up everything that was loose because Fierce Brosnan (my bike) feels even better than when I dropped it off. Definitely going back.

Brought my bike here two weeks ago and checked in 3 times. Two weeks later and they still hadn't touched the bike. Finally gave up on them trying to work on it and picked it up and the person helping me condescendingly told me my bike was a kids bike. Incredibly rude service and completely irresponsible. Avoid this place at all costs.

I have taken TWO bikes to Charlie to tune & adjust. Excellent work & great customer service !!!

All I needed was a new tire. I called and they said to come on in, no appointment needed. It was fairly busy on a Sunday afternoon so it took a few minutes for them to get to me, but once it was my turn they set me up with a new tire in all of about 5 minutes. $10 for tire labor, $20 for tire, $6 for tube. $39 after tax.

Best bike shop I've been too, very kind owner and staff. Great to be able to pop in for questions. Twice the owner has helped me for no charge with simple questions, prices are comparable to buying products off internet, so no reason not to pick up parts here. Complimentary pump outside. Just nice to know that should I have any problems, I can trust Lakeview Bicycle.

Well this was super frustrating. I dropped my bike off yesterday because I needed to get just some new tape on my bars. Ps - the labor costs more than the tape itself ($20 labor for $15 tape). Whatever, agreed to the price because I didn't want to mess I up myself. He said he would need to keep it for the day and it would be ready tomorrow. So I rode Uber around all of yesterday and all of this morning, I stop in to pick up my bike today because I need it to ride to work, and I walk in to see it exactly where I left it, with the same guy working and he goes "oh, ummmm...sorry" and I told him I needed it now to ride to work, which he didn't seem to care about, so I took my bike left with the old tape and walked out. In other words, I left my bike somewhere, took Uber's everywhere and took two unnecessary trips to a bike shop for literally nothing.

Great service - took my 2-year old BMC commuter here for an annual check-up... brakes squeaked a bit after a couple weeks / the guys @ Lakeview took it back w/o question - did a bunch of diagnostics / took things apart and called to report the bike was good to go. I went to pickup expecting a $30-40 charge but Frank and team said it was all good. THIS is why I'll recommend this spot to friends and go back in the future - THANK YOU!

Charlie is the man. Prices are always fair. Go here for a human bike shop experience.

This is my go-to place for bike repairs! Charlie is always super nice, knowledgeable, and quick, and the prices are very reasonable.

The shopkeeper was incredibly rude and not helpful. I'll look for a used bike elsewhere. There are plenty of other shops in the city.

I live on the corner from the shop so I drop in for all my last-minute bike needs. Never been turned away; always greeted and helped. If you are in a pinch, Charlie does one fast tube change and you will be back on the road! I have also been invited to use the air pump, an allen wrench, and even some cleaning lube for some small fast projects. I don't know what the review on the air fill was about, but during business hours there is a pump just outside the store that is free and open for use.

4.5 stars. Been coming here to service two bikes (one of which they helped me build) for three years. Unpretentious, solid work. Sure, they may take too long, and don't carry a warehouse worth of selection. But they're stand up guys. Whatever they've done for me, they've done right. My bikes are happy and annoyance-free. I'm pretty amazed at how well they get everything dialed in. Happy to have them in the neighborhood.

Good service but slightly pricey. Initially I wasn't happy with the work done on the bike, as the bike had come back from Burning Man and required extensive cleaning and fixes but upon request Charles the store person agreed to work on it. That helped though I had to go back and forth and spend on uber to run other errands before finally collecting my bike.

Charlie is the best! I've been taking my bikes here for years to get them fixed up and he's always been quick, thorough and friendly. Last year I bought a bike from him and since I'm a bigger rider I tend to break spokes and for an entire year he's replaced the spokes on that new bike for free. Wow, just wow!

Had some brakes replaced here a while back. Took a month, but that's cool because I told them there was no rush. But when I got my bike back, it was like a drunk guy reassembled it. Handle bar neck attachment was inverted, end cap missing, handle bar grip attachment upside down in a weird angle... don't know if it was just inattention to details or whomever it was just didn't care. So kind of a bleh experience.

One of the best experiences I've had at a bike shop. I walked in, asked about tires, told him the size I had now, and without even mentioning I was considering a size larger, he casually suggests that. (let's face it, I'm a little over 200lbs, it's prob obvious I should be running a size larger) The issue of clearance came up, I mentioned I had the bike in my truck two blocks away and without a hitch he offers to go look and walks back with me to see. No pretension in the whole experience. Just pleasant and straight to the point in making me aware of options. I will keep coming back here.

I've come here to get fair prices on bike accessories (quality built-to-last bike pump, chain lube, bell), tube/tire replacement (price including labor is better than other places I've gone to while in a flat situation elsewhere in Oakland), and a tune up, along with stopping in for quick consultations and adjustments when I'm not sure about what's going on with my bike. From my experience, there's no one I trust more or who I feel more a more familial vibe with (especially cuz Rick reminds me of my dad with his laid-back, friendly vibe and value of quality and still economic value). Having lakeview bicycle as my neighborhood go-to bike shop for the past several years, I find Charlie and Rick to be trustworthy, genuine, and un-pretentious people, who provide great value and quick turnaround. Love these guys and their great shop, and feel lucky it's my go-to place!!!

I went in here on the Friday of Memorial day weekend in a hurry to beat traffic out of town and got really great fast service. It so happens though that I bought two tubes with the wrong valve type. Over the course of the weekend I lost my receipt and one of my tubes ended up going back to my friend's house in Santa Cruz. Without question Charlie exchanged my one tube I had and told me to come back whenever I got the other tube from my friend in Santa Cruz. Other places might have been like, no receipt, sorry no exchange. Really nice guys here! I'd definitely recommend.

Feelin' like a lucky gal to call this my local shop! Gave my Cannondale a makeover and the guys were patient, honest and educational while providing multiple options to take depending on my priorities. Even when the bike needed some extra love after the work, Charles went the extra mile for me free of charge. **Also, I appreciate the dry humor- don't let it be mistaken by poor service, like some others have mentioned.

My introduction to Lakeview Bicycle came when my bike completely locked up halfway between MacArthur/35th and the Farmer's Market on Grand. After walking my bike the rest of the way to meet a friend at the farmer's market, I saw the shop and stopped in. The mechanic quickly prioritized repairs by taking his active project off the bike stand and immediately working on my bike so I wouldn't have to walk it almost 6 miles home and I was deeply grateful for the generosity. I was prepared to pay extra for the amazing service, but when I returned for the bike after an hour at the farmer's market, the mechanic only charged me $20 for the repairs ... $20 DOLLARS? That's It? ... Yup, just $20. I'm now a fan and tell other riders this shop is definitely one of the best in the area!

My neighborhood bike shop. Good guys, and timely. I bought a used road bike that's old, heavy, and ugly enough for my commute to BART. Perfect! They do the regular maintenance on that and my top of the line mountain bike. Last week I took my mountain bike in and they said it would be a few days until it was finished because of the holiday weekend. A couple hours later they called saying it was finished. They said they could tell I wanted to ride during the weekend so they got right on it. A bigger selection of products would be nice, but I guess their specialty is service, which is what I can't get from the Internet. Very pleased with this shop!

I had to get a tube replaced and the guy working there helped me out in a timely manner. Was a bit rude but hey, customer service can be a tough thing to handle sometimes.

I got my first flat today. It was inevitable--I ride in Oakland, after all, where the bike lanes are festively decorated with sparkling glass, the smashed butterscotch of signal lights, the red candy shards of brake lights, and the odd glittering bottle cap. This is all not to mention the general condition of the roads, with potholes that could take out a motorcycle, let alone a bicycle, and ruts that'll trap even 700 x 28s. Of all the places I could go to, I took the bus over to Lakeview Bicycle. I'd been in before for little things--a new seat, rear rack installation, cargo net, chain lube--and been happy with the service. Not-Charlie (I think it's Not-Charlie, I forgot to get his name, and feel a little bad about that now, but anyways, it's not the guy with the curly hair I normally see over there) said he'd have it done in ten minutes. I poked my head over after he started getting into it, and he offered to show me how it was done. I took him up on it, I'm always glad to learn how to take care of my vehicles, and he was a fine teacher. He found the staple that had gone through my tread and tube, extracted it, and helped me install a new tube. Even with hanging out after to chat, and Not-Charlie tuning the brakes a little, I was out in less than twenty minutes, and for less than $15. I'd heard of other places charging more like $20-25 for a flat repair, and considering that Not-Charlie took the time to show me how to do it myself in the future too... Well, I'm definitely going back here for future repairs and the like. (If you're curious about what they retail, there's a limited but solid selection of panniers, bar tape, chain lube, underseat bags, tools, pumps, etc. Unless you're looking for a very specific product with very specific dimensions, you should be able to get what you need here. Prices are fair, I think they do the standard retail markup, rather than the we-are-a-serious-bike-shop markup.)

This is a really good bike shop. They'll help you out with small repairs and advice for free usually, and when they do need to do work on your bike the prices are mad reasonable. Retail stuff is reasonably priced too. The only reason it's not 5 stars is that because, in my opinion, Charlie's kind of a jerk. He's not mean, per se - just really tactless and brusque and not friendly at all. It's weird that other reviewers have said he's friendly because he's been the opposite in my experience. He's a great bike mechanic and shop operator. This is my local shop and I'll keep going there. I'd just enjoy going there more if he wasn't such a dour dude. He makes me feel guilty about my bike and I feel unwelcome in the shop. Whatever! Maybe he just doesn't like me! And he'll like you. Either way it's a great bike shop for any of your bike needs. I don't need my bike mechanic to be my friend. --------------------- EDIT: Okay, so I know I just wrote this review - but I have to say, now, maybe I just went on off-days every other time I've been in there, but today Charlie was super nice. He's still rough and gruff, but he was smiley today. Maybe he read my review right before and knew I was coming? lol. But seriously, whether he's friendly or not, he's a good guy. He noticed that my rack on the back wasn't attached super securely, because the attachments that came with it weren't adequate - so he fixed it and replaced the attachments, for free! That's not the first time he's done something for me for free. So I'm putting it up to five stars.

I stopped by with a brake scraping against my wheel. Instead of sticking me in a queue and sending me off, the guy working looked at it right away, saw that it was an easy fix, fixed it, and even told me how to do it in the future. NO CHARGE. It's great to have a real local bike shop in Lakeshore, and I will absolutely positively be back after this experience.

First off, I have to say they did a pretty good job. I took my bike in for a tune-up, and the brakes are more responsive and stronger now, gear changing is a lot smoother, etc. However, their customer service is quite bad for the most part. The main guy running the store is not that friendly, and he said he would call me when it was done in a week. A week passed and no response. I called them back and they said they would call me the next day when it was done. Next day, still no call. Finally, after a week and a half, I just had to go in person to get it back. Each of the elderly couple that was there were friendly. I don't know if they were the owner's parents or not, but not too bad there. Overall, good job, but from my experience, pretty much no customer service.

Popped in to check out the new store on Grand Ave. Met Charlie the owner. He seems to be a super nice guy. No pressure, very laid back and non-judgmental about my lack of bike knowledge. He showed me a bike in my price range that fits my needs. He even gave me a map of Oakland bike paths! When I am ready to buy a bike this is my shop!

By far the best Bike shop in the East Bay. Not only are the prices reasonable but the customer service is beyond great. Charlie helped me out and got my bike ready to shred again! Quality work from a quality guy. I have gotten bike maintenance all around the bay and there seems to be a "holier than thou" attitude the minute you walk into certain places. Not here. Charlie is super kind and more than willing to help you out. Not taking my bike anywhere other than here for now on.

So I decided to descend a nice mountain while playing tourist in Mammoth. Long story short, I forgot how high up I was and didn't adjust my tire pressure appropriately. At the end of my descent, when I slowed down, my wheels were hot from braking and POW, the front tire blew out -- not just the tube, the TIRE. I kept it upright and was able to stop and curse at the bike in time for the other tire to blow as well. It was a real bummer as I had just replaced the rear tire 100 miles ago (Conti 4000s.) Nothing to be done about it, however, as I was 350 miles from home and only had a couple of tubes and no tires and we were leaving town in the morning, bound for Oakland. The next day rolled around and I was really hoping to get some riding done in the SF/Oakland area (I had my eye on the Golden Gate bridge and the area to the north of it.) The wife had a fancy spice shop she wanted to visit and, luckily, I discovered Lakeview about a block away! So I walked in with my poor humiliated steed, all flat-tired and sad looking and waited while another customer worked out the details of having a shifter, cassette, cables, bar wrap and (I think) some other stuff replaced. Trouble was, he wanted to make sure he got the bike back in time to ride it to work on Monday. He was delighted when Charlie let him know it would probably be ready the very same (Saturday) afternoon. I explained my story and was shown to a set of Schwable Durano tires (they don't carry Conti, apparently) but Charlie assured me the Schwables would be fine and that while their rolling resistance was a hair higher than the Contis I have used in the past, their performance and puncture protection would be up to snuff. I let him know that I was a tourist and wouldn't be able to wait over-night, to which he replied that I could have it back in about 15-20 minutes. WOW. True to his word, the tires were mounted (with the logos properly lined up with the air valves, I might add!) when I returned to the shop after enjoying a coffee and pastry with the wife a short distance away. While checking out, I mentioned my ride plans/hopes and he directed me to a great local climb (Conzelman Rd) which I promptly went out and enjoyed! I hope to one day have a reason to re-visit the shop if I ever find myself riding in Oakland!

These guys are extremely reasonably priced bike whisperers. My Bianchi has had shifting problems for years, and I finally managed to actually bend my chain and had to go in to Lakeview Bikes for a replacement. Not only did they talk me out of an overpriced Campy chain, figure out that barrel near the derailleur was broken and replace it, they also figured out that the cable housing was too tight, causing shifting problems. Seriously, it's been in and out of several bike shops on the east and west coast having all kinds of expensive tune ups and no one has been able to figure this out. AND the new chain and all the extra labor on top of chain replacement was CHEAPER than what Missing Link would have charged me for a new chain ($20 over MSRP as far as I could tell). Lakeview has a mysteriously awesome combo of serious bike knowledge, zero attitude and totally affordable prices. They turned the whole thing around before I even finished the burrito I had brought to keep me company. Like everyone else says, the guys are super chill and nice, and you can hang out at the cafe next door or across the street at the lake basking in the sun while your bike gets magically functional. I'd give 10 stars if I could!

I have had two bike emergencies and Charlie totally hooked me up both times. One time my rear hub got super loose, and he took it all apart and basically tuned up my entire bike for 10 bucks. Then another time I got a flat on my way to an important poker game and he fixed me all up and super quick. He is a really experienced mechanic minus the attitude of other mechanics in the area... If you need parts or repairs, this is the place to go in Oakland.

I brought my bike here for a tune-up and to try to get advice about repeated rear flats. This took about a week, which is on the slow end for bike shops in my experience. My bike, which I've had for 12 years, has a manufacturing defect in the frame -- the mechanic at a shop I brought it to 9 years ago diagnosed the problem and installed serrated washers on either side of the rear axle to prevent the rear wheel from slipping and touching the rear triangle during a ride. The washers have prevented the wheel from slipping during the past 9 years from riding -- in the 3 years before that, during every ride I would have to stop, undo the quick release, re-seat the wheel, and re-tighten the quick release, often multiple times. The first time I rode my bike after picking it up, I noticed that the bike mechanic had removed the washers from my bike. I brought it back to the shop and asked them to put them back. The mechanic refused to put them back, saying that (somehow) the washers would damage the bike (which hadn't happened yet in the 9 years for which they'd been deployed). He said he would fix something else which he claimed would address the frame defect. At that point, he said that the biggest sprocket in the front cassette was worn and needed to be replaced. I asked why the mechanic who did the tune-up didn't spot the problem. He was unable to provide an explanation, but said that they had an extra sprocket that they would give me for free. I said okay and hung around for half an hour while he installed the sprocket. After he finished, he said that the middle sprocket was also worn, and suggested keeping the bike for several more days so he could do that repair. I declined, and wondered why he didn't notice that either before then. It's important to me that people doing a service for me be able to admit when they don't know something. A mechanic who goes ahead and throws away part of my bike because he doesn't understand why it's there, rather than asking me, is someone I can't trust. You shouldn't either. To me that's even worse than the carelessness they showed by not bothering to tell me about the worn cassette when I picked up the bike from the initial tune-up.

I went there with a tire burst, and they replaced the tube and tire - which the very next day without any rides, burst again. I was kind of furious at them in the beginning at the kind of work they did but I thought there had to be another reason for two simultaneous tire bursts. I went there again and explained the situation and on closer observation they saw that the wheel was not aligned properly and that led the brakes to rub against the tire in the slightest way possible which cannot be noticed. I believe The guy at the bike station at downtown berkeley messed it up the last time I went there with a flat. Full points to a lakeview bikes for being accommodating and figuring out the issue and solving it at no additional charge. Needless to say, they have all of my future business!

This place is AWESOME. Charlie, the owner, is a super friendly guy and very knowledgeable! I am new to the hobby and Charlie is always available to answer any questions I might have about different bike parts and safety concerns. He is also very efficient (you can be in and out in 10 minutes) If you're looking for a great local bike spot, this is it!