This place has an incredible purpose for serving your community. They take old bikes that people…read moredon't want anymore and refurbish them and sell them at a reasonable price and a lot of the money goes to nonprofit. The people that worked there very nice. I'm very helpful and the price ranges on the bike depends on how sweet of a ride you really wanna get. Unlike a shop where you would buy a new the cost will not be that much. But these are professionals they do an incredible job of restoration on old bikes and putting them out and they look like they're brand new.

This is a fun way to pass an hour--rowing a boat in Aquatic Park. It's easier than expected to get…read morethe boat moving, harder than expected to keep it moving. The boats are maintained (and possibly built) by young people at Waterside Workshops and basic but sturdy. The hour rental ($40 total with life vests included) was plenty enough to row from one end of the lagoon to the other and back, with a quick snack break. We are not skilled rowers, and it was fine. I would check the schedule ahead of time, especially during the off season. We went late in the afternoon and were the only ones on the water. Because of our inexperience, I was glad that we weren't sharing the water with any water skiers or a crew team. Just egrets, pelicans, and cormorants.

I had been buying bike accessories from Blue Heron, plus experienced their ability to get me a new…read moretire installed on the spot. This happened 13 years ago. I finally decided to try them for servicing my Ebike, a Riese & Muller Roadster. Their shop is much more conveniently located than my regular shop and I can ride there, rather than loading the bike on a rack and driving there. What I'd been missing with my old shop was knowing who people were and getting in-person feedback on whatever needed to be fixed. They had expanded and the service, while still good, was getting very distant, in terms of knowing who actually worked on my bike. Blue Heron reminds me of what my old shop was like. The shop is small, crowded with new bikes and bikes being serviced. The people I dealt with were friendly and went over what they'd do on a basic tune-up. They replaced what I figured they'd replace, chain, brake pads, adjusted the derailleur, etc. What I didn't expect were all the little things. They found some missing screws, replaced those. They also adjusted the fenders for alignment and got rid of the stray rattles that the bike has had since I purchased it. They trued up the rear wheel too, which is pretty standard, but it made a difference. I also noticed they cured the problem with the derailleur moving the chain down from the biggest gear in the cassette when I would back the bike out of the garage. It now stays put. The bike has never felt this solid before. It now rides the way I had hoped it would from the beginning. I'll have to stop by later this week to thank Jordan and his mechanics for a job well-done. A good review is one thing, but I believe that the personal service I received deserves a personal reply. Five stars!

My lunch got dropped when I fell off because the seat was higher than when I dropped it off …read more I went to get on and fell face forward I went in to tell them , got blown off and requested to see the manage. He simply debated about my seat being fine , said sorry I don't know what to tell you attitude . Going to the Doctor , getting it documented if it's more serious than i think . I can barely walk and still have to walk home .I could have died for their carelessness

I am shipping a bike to #1 son in ohio. I was struggling to get the pedal off one side. I follow…read moreRCR on IG and wanted to pay them a visit figuring they would have the correct tool. Parked the whip right in front (parking Car-ma:-). The place is a buzz of activity. This local business is very tied and involved in the local community. Discounts for locals! It took a whole 30 seconds for the gent who helped me to find the right tool. The brother helping me explained the pedals were threaded opposite of normal. Which was very helpful once I got home and got busy. Making sure I wasn't tightening the darn thang it came if in 20 seconds.. darn it! I spent 45 minutes trying to get that sucka off prior! I was also hoping to get a rich City tee, but regretfully they were sold out. More coming in next week he said. Cool! I'll have a good excuse to peddle on over next week to get one!! Friendly fast expertise... great shop for all your biking needs! Support Black Business is easy when they do such a good job!

Have been aware of this place for years . And love the story of how it started . I was in process…read moreof doing a fundraising ride and had problems with my chain. I called and they said bring it in , I brought it in and they fixed it quickly and I was able to complete my ride with no problems. So thankful they were there and assisted me so quickly to finish this important ride supporting people with Multiple Sclerosis. I appreciate there quick attention and support. Recommend a visit for bike needs .

This shop has my eternal loyalty…read more Let me just say that I don't make a lot of money and my scooter is the way I get to my kids school and work. My brakes malfunctioned and because of how my e scooter is built, when the brakes aren't aligned properly, the motor won't work. Despite the fact that the owner was in the middle of moving shop, he squeezed me in on the one day I had off. I had gotten there early and parked my scooter right outside. When I came to the shop at the right time, it was for the owner to tell me he had already found my scooter and fixed it. And the kicker? He didn't charge me. Just said he wanted me to be safe with my kid on board. Made suggestions about how to improve the scooter with a different brake system and gave me very economic pricing. I cannot describe how very very helpful he was, and all in five minutes. And the brakes worked better than they did before. What impresses me most was his insistence that he cares about my safety and the people in the community. I had forgotten my helmet coming to the shop, because I walked the scooter there, and he offered me a used helmet for free to wear home. This is why small business is so important. I will be back. I will never go to another shop. Easy enough to do, since many other shops won't service vehicles they didn't sell. Something I was told by two other local shops. Seriously, best bike shop experience I've ever had.

My son wanted a bike as an 8th grade graduation gift. Totally in support of that AND find bike…read moreprices astronomical, especially for kids who are still growing. Bikes on Solano sells great quality bikes at reasonable prices, pre-loved but in good condition. My son was happy and while I was there also grabbed my older son a bike since he likes to ride. The staff were super helpful, and we were in and out in under thirty minutes. I'm thinking about buying a bike for myself as well to get back into riding.

Daniel arrived on time and was considerate of our home, putting booties on as soon as he entered…read more He went right to work and did a thorough and professional job for a good price. He made some recommendations and will follow up on costs as soon as he can. He made a good case for what he recommended. It's hard to find repair people who are as professional and efficient as Daniel was. Thanks very much!

We had a great experience with Daniel and Pro Tech Gym Service. He came to our home to diagnose the…read moreissue, quickly saw the problem, took care of all the logistics (ordering parts, communicating with the manufacturer, etc.) and returned with the new part to quickly make the repair. The whole process took a reasonable time frame, especially since it fell during the holidays. He was a bit hard to hear back from at first, which keeps the review from being a perfect 5/5. But we are very happy with the service and would definitely work with him again should the need arise. Strong recommendation!

I went to Biketopia Community Workshop for the first time to do a thorough check and tuneup of a…read moregood bicycle. I was greeted, welcomed, and given the lay of the land of how this workshop works, by a bicycle volunteer. Biketopia is just what I need: Bike stands, coaching and the right tools. I paid for an annual membership - which is about what I could have spent at professional bicycle repair shop to accomplish what we got done and will do next time. I went to my car and brought in the Fuji endurance road bike, and was immediately to able to put it up on a free bike stand - so we could begin to see what was Up - and calling for attention. The volunteer - a veteran Berkeley cyclist - was friendly, observant and a very good coach: He observed and let me do - what I could do with relative ease - and he showed me how to do the Next Thing - right. He carefully checked the brakes, and showed me how to see exactly what was going on with the front brake . He knew how to do both the fine and gross adjustment of the brakes, and had the proper tools for each. And showed me how to adjust and fine tune the adjustment of my brakes, so I was able to do the work and have him check my adjustments. He heard and understood my report of some recent shifting issues and gear jumping. He checked and showed me how both derailleurs were shiifting and the simple adjustments we cojuld make. He offered to measure the wear of the chain. Since the chain was about 50% or 60% worn - I decided this would be a great time to replace it. The volunteer found exactly the right chain from their small inventory of new parts. He showed me how this chain's magic link worked, slighly different than the link on my current chain. Then how to install the new chain. He and i worked on the getting the derailleurs to shift just right. It took some skill I did not have - but soon I learned. Then he showed me how to check my rims for true - and how to adjust them - using their simple wheel truing apparatus and a spoke wrench and the right technique. I took good enough wheels and made them truer and better. We put the wheels back in and did a final adjustment on the brakes and derailleurs. Ready to ride for 50 mile runs - up and down the Berkeley hils - safely and smoothly. Next time I will work on improving the dish of my front wheel. This is a great place, if you want to learn how to take care of your bicycyle in a tightly packed community workshop.

This place is honestly amazing. I gave my friend a bike for burning man but wasn't sure if it was…read moreup to par. I saw this place and decided to check it out with her before she left. Turns out it's a community bike shop where people can bring their bikes to get repaired and even learn how to do it! We learned so much about bikes that we didn't know before. I can actually repair a bike now myself if needed. Everyone was so nice and willing to help. They have so much supplies, everything we needed was taken care of. Despite our labor taking over a hour and multiple things being fixed, we were only charged about $25. Well worth the price and quality. I appreciate this place so much and will definitely be back.

Another 5 stars. These guys are great. My new brake line (that I tried to install myself with no…read moreexperience or proper tools) ) wasn't working right. So I had to come back to the folks at Mike's today for some help. I dropped it off when they opened at 10, and it was ready for pick up the same day. They helped me with my chain, and the brakes, now I have a brand new 25 year old bike...money. They also informed me that I had some other things going on (broken spoke, head set needed attention), which I appreciate...a little extra step goes a long way in my book. Thank you again fellas...hard work is not always the norm nowadays. I will have to bring something by for y'alls to enjoy on the barbecue. Peace. Peace

Wayyyy over priced and extremely rude. Apparently if I'm not coming in in tight pants and a $5,000…read morebike I'm not worth their time. $50 to install a basket is insane.

Located right in the Berkeley Marina, the Highline Kites mobile shop is a convenient place to buy…read moreyour kite right next to some of the best windy kite spots in town. The owner Tom is super friendly and knows a lot about kites, and you can tell it's his passion. I am a complete newbie to kiting but knew I wanted a quad-line kite since I saw it years ago from the Berkeley Kite Festival. When it wasn't too busy, Tom was kind enough to help show me how to set it up and get started. It looks like they had a range of kites ranging from beginner single lines all the way to the stunt quad line that I bought. After some time practicing and several kite crashes later, I finally was getting the hang of flying it with control. Highly recommend getting a kite from here!

All your kite needs, right at the best kite flying hill in the Bay Area, sold by people who really…read moreknow and love kites. We've gotten less expensive models here that were easy to fly and have lasted a few years. They have never tried to upsell us. But if you are more of a hobbyist or expert flyer, I am confident you'll find all you need. A story from one interaction with these kind folks--years ago, we went to the hill to fly kites with our young cousins, and we somehow put together the kite we brought partially inversed. One of Highline hippies hanging out on a lawn chair saw us in danger of not succeeding, and he trudged up the hill and fixed the issue in seconds. They've helped us a couple other times with tangles and broken lines. If you visit Berkeley, an authentic activity would be to come to Cesar Chavez park, get a psychedelic kite, and fly with SF and the lovely Bay at your back. It is truly an only in Berkeley experience.