I found my stolen bike on Craigslist being sold by this store. I wish I could mark it negative stars...

I don't know anything about all of the accusations, but I thought it would only be fair to share my experience. My GF and I rolled up on our shit bikes to look for a new used bike for her. I asked him about one and he said the bike she had was better and didn't recommend it. He asked what was wrong with her current bike and we told him about the creaks and other noises it was making. You know what he did? He said "let me see" and he tightened up a few loose bolts and had the thing running as good as new (well, as good as 10 years old anyway). He basically talked us out of buying a new bike and fixed her bike for free. Didn't seem like a jerk at all to me. Seemed pretty damn cool. That said, his shop is mayhem :) read more

You might think it's okay to buy stolen bikes, but you're wrong. Don't buy them at the Ashby flea market, don't buy them at Don Rafa's, and don't buy them here at Karim. Good places to buy inexpensive and used bikes include Missing Link, The Bent Spoke, and Pedal Revolution. read more

Wow. Worst customer experience. Ever. If they could get NO stars, that would be appropriate. I hate flaming businesses, but this one richly deserves it. I went there today to buy a bike for a friend who is frantically trying to pack up for Burning Man (leaving today). Wish I had checked these reviews first. I didn't know of this place. I'll spare you the whole nasty story, but in response to Mike P below, who tries to defend him, I was there and completely down to spend around $100....for a Burning Man bike. Karim refused to come down $10, from $120 on the perfect bike. He tried to sell me a vastly inferior one for $90. It was a rusted bucket of bolts. I politely declined, in the face of him being extremely rude to that point. When I GENTLY asked him why was being a bit pissy with me, he told me it was because i was on the phone when I first got there. I reminded him that I had apologized for that, and the (good) reason was that I was checking in with my friend, and it was to get the sale done (I was describing the bike to my friend and telling him the price - when i was able to talk to Karim). I was not on the phone for more than one minute. He then SCREAMED at me, and I am so not exaggerating: "THERE'S THE BIKE!!! $90! TAKE THAT ONE!!!" He then turned his back on me and walked away. I don't think he heard me say quietly: "You know what? Forget it." I was happy to walk away, and at the same time I was sooooo pissed to be treated like shit. He would have made a $110 sale, but instead he got nothing. I don't care who you are or what your business looks like - if you're decent to your customer (me) we're all good. Later my friend tells me: "Don't worry about it. That place has been busted twice for being a chop shop." My friend is an avid cyclist, used to work in bike shops, and knows the community. I have been an avid cyclist for over 20 years, veteran of multi-day rides and century rides. I know my way around a bike and I can spot quality manufacturing, components, etc. But did he care to find out? No. As to not allowing anyone inside: that should be the only red flag you need. If he's not outright selling stolen bikes knowingly, he sure has his suspicions. AVOID. read more

2:45 PM on Wednesday locked up tight. Their posted hours state they are supposed to be open but absolutely no one home and no note explaining why. read more

Worst store ever. There are hundreds of bikes piled on top of each other inside the store. They were recently raided for stolen bikes by Berkeley Police. The owner is very pushy and not knowledgable about bikes. I feel sorry whenever I see anyone shopping here. read more

This is a terrible shop,a friend and I went to ask if we could use a pump because he had a flat.he seemed to be arguing on the phone for about 15 min and when he did come over we asked if he had one with a presta valve he then went in and came out with a valve adapter(which we already own) and wanted to sell us it in order to use the pump and when we asked if we could just get a pump that fits our valve he said "I can't waist my time I am too busy" and that if we don't bring business that we shouldn't be there and to leave,he cursed at us calling us assholes and pricks.I thought the point of a bike shop is to help. This guy is a complete douche not to mention the shit loads of bike parts he has thrown on the floor it looks as if it was dumped by a truck. He always seems angry even when I went to the middle school across the street, he was always fighting and yelling at a customer. I recommend never going there if rather walk down to shattuck and get decent customer service. wish I could've punched him. Ps. If I could I would give zero stars! read more

You don't need to hear rumors about the reputation of this place to hate it. Karim treated me like shit and sold me an even shittier bike. Yesterday the chain broke in half while I was riding it. All around, the most negative experience I have ever had at a business. He deserves every bad review he gets on here. Karim, it's time to change how you do business. read more

I love it when there is one 5-star review after a ton of 1-star reviews. And you look at that person's reviews and they are almost all 5-star. This suggests to me that either they have really easy standards, or someone is paying them to do 5-star reviews. I live in a shitty neighborhood in Oakland, I did the AIDS ride at age 45 after never riding a bike for many years, so I am neither a trust fund baby nor a gear-head with precious tastes. When my bike was stolen off my back porch the COPS in Oakland told me to try looking here. OK? The cops. I did. Unfortunately I did not find my bike, but I did find a huge mess. Its just like all the one star reviews say.. I don't mind messy, I'm messy myself and lots of DYI bike workshop places are. But I do mind sleazy. Unfortunately, he has very cheap prices, and that's the way to get people to ignore their conscience and buy something that could easily have been stolen from your friend or neighbor. Is not shopping here going to stop that from happening? Probably not, so its up to you as to whether you want to avoid the place on principle. read more

I've never been very impressed with this store. Many of the bikes inside look like they might have been liberated from their rightful owners. The operators of Karim's are also suspiciously wary of customers looking around too carefully at the stock. I don't want to libel the place, but I do want to tell anyone reading this: stay away. read more

i'd give this place, and the owner zero stars if i could. if you want to pay way too much for a used bike, then go here. If you enjoy being treated in a rude manner, this is the store for you. if you like spending you money and getting less, step on up, you've found the place. compare prices vs. craigslist. karim charges up to four times as much for the same bikes. read more

Regardless of whether or not Karim knowingly deals in stolen bikes, I don't know why anyone would shop here. Sure, there are lots of old bikes... in piles, inaccessible. The owner is pushy and unpleasant. You get the idea that he is *extremely* busy, and just wants you to buy a bike already and get out. It's kind of sad that so many nice bikes repose in such hopeless clutter. He is notorious for listing on Craigslist, and tends to get flagged off because CL For Sale ads are meant for non-commercial listings. In order to sneakily appear as though he's a normal seller and avoid searches, he runs words together, along the lines of "showing Saturday afternoons at 2800Telegraph@StuartStBerkeley" or "afternoons @2800TelegraphAvenueNearAshbyBerkeley". And he reviewed his own business here. How can you trust someone who engages in these sort of practices? Stolen bikes or not, this is a sketchy character. I wish I could rate it a zero. Even if he comes by his inventory honestly, this place is still bad news. read more

When my bike was stolen I decided to come take a look at the recent bikes fenced at Karim's. Owner seemed to know what I was after and wouldn't even let me look in the store, instead tried to offer to bring bikes out if I told him what I was looking for. Don't support a bike shop that is going to get your bike stolen down the line. read more

A while ago, i wanted to spend 60 on a used fold up bike, i got asked questions about why i needed this type of bike and in a manner as if i was trying to bother the person. I left thinking how is a place like this even exsist, i doubt the local police departments are very efficient at returning stolen bikes so alot end up here. And they have alot in thier collections, thiefs like to hoard and collect stuff . Departments or others. Stolen bikes is good for the bike industry . It helps the bike shops sale more , it helps the thief make money, and the resaler as well. It gives the police purpose and work to do. read more

Talk about low class. My gf was looking for a hybrid bike and so we stopped by there after visiting Mike's Bikes. The salesguy first quoted us a price that was $140 more than Mike's Bikes. Then after he realized we had a clue, he adjusted the price more competitively. The gf rode the bike, thought it was okay, but not worth buying right away. When we told the guy we didn't want to buy it right now, the owner remarked that they might have "lost" the gf's drivers license. F them. read more

It's a well known fact that this is the last stop on your stolen bike's journey from the bike rack to its proud new owner. I know people who have managed to locate their bike at Karim's on the same day it was jacked. For a modest fee they were able to buy it right back. But don't take my word for it: http://articles.sfgate.com/2005-06-16/bay-area/17376992_1_bikes-bicycles-uc-berkeley I assume Karim manages to stay in business because of the constant influx of new Cal students who don't know or don't care. Don't patronize this place. It's bad karma. read more

Who would even give them a chance? It's filled floor to ceiling: one more bike and you could not close the door.

Agreed, worst bike store ever. Does anyone actually buy bikes here? Very poor service.

Here is my direct experience: They were extremely rude when I went there once. I tried to move a bike and was yelled by a worker there "hey man, don't go tearing up the bikes!". Clearly he had offended me, and yet he then proceeded to try to sell me a $450 bike that had a very loose head set. I will never do business with this shop. read more

Can't believe it either. I went in to look for a bike. He ended up yelling at the previous customer and then started to yell at me. Went out with no bike. read more

Shady, shady, shady. I believe that Karim gave my husband a "loaner" while his bike was being repaired. That lasted for about 3 yrs???? Everytime we called, it was "being repaired" or waiting for a part. I believe Karim thought he could get more money for our bike, than the one he loaned my husband. As he could never find it. My husband is a tolerant man, but still....we won't be going back. Save yourself the time and the excuses and do business with a reputable Bike Shop..... read more

Karim helped us find a great bike for our 11 year old. He was very nice and helpful. Prices were more than reasonable. Great to have a decent used bike shop in the area. read more

Ok so my beloved boyfriend was hit by an SUV in a crosswalk and was thankfully ok, but his bike, a super vega was totally destroyed. My friend and I took up bike riding on trails to get fit and loose our love handles. My boyfriend was feeling left out so as a surprise gift I wanted to get him a bike in a pinch while ballin on a budget lol. Despite all the sketchy reviews about where this guy gets his bikes and other things, I went to look at a some bikes that I had found advertised by Karim on Craigslist. Now let me say, my friend and I went there feeling very skeptical, and agreed if we thought it was a sketch situation that we would leave but to my surprise I had a pretty positive experience with the guy.I wasn't very familiar with types of bikes but I knew what kind of bike my bf had before so I used to that and his height as a reference. Karim verified for me that the bike i was interested in would be the appropriate size and is actually a very comparable to a super vega. The bike was older and showed use but was obviously someones well loved bike at one point as it had been cared for well and Karim made sure that everything worked on it and had replaced the necessities to make it safe to ride without making it more expensive than necessary. I paid him in cash and took the bike home. My Boyfriend absolutely loves it and is so pleased. It was the right bike and at the right price. It only needed a tune up and the wheels straitened out a bit which we had done at a local bike shop. Not bad in my opinion. This guy is older and a little odd , I think that , combined with his wall to wall over filled shop that you can't even walk in (so he mostly does business outside in front of his shop) makes people get the wrong idea of him. I think he just buys older bikes , fixes the necessities and resells them for a small profit just because he enjoys the bike business, he doesn't strike me as a crook. read more

i wish i could write a no-star review. this bike shop does not require photo identification or original receipts from the people who walk in and sell bikes there. thusly, pretty much allowing thieves to seel their stolen loot there. i have had a friend's stolen bike appear here. karim is rude and confrontational. he will shut the doors and lock them, if you try to "poke" around inside the shop, which is full of piles of bikes. he will only allow you to look at and try the bikes outside, and if you begin asking questions about stolen bikes, he gets defensive and angry, and walks away from you. (this has happened to more than one person). buyer beware: stolen bikes. karim doesn't care about return business; he sells one bike per college kid, cheap and dirty, and this rotation goes on and on every semester. sad but true. a disreputable, unethical business and an equally unethical businessman: karim. stay away. there are plenty of mom and pop used bike shops within a few miles. give your business to a shop that checks ID and receipts before accepting stolen goods. read more

ok, i just happen to stumble on this used bike shop in my neighborhood. i had no prior knowledge of it's alleged illegal activities (see other reviews). had i prior knowledge, i probably would have avoided this place... but i didn't... anyway, it's disorganized. there are probably 200 bikes all packed on top of one another. it's best to just ask the staff what type of bike you are interested, and they can "guide" you to the proper area to search. but, there is a fair amount of very good used bikes for $150-$200 bucks. this place is like a huge garage sale, with nothing more than bikes. prices are competitive with what i've seen in craigslist.org. i ended up getting a used Trek mountain bike for $200 + a free u-lock. 4 stars for selection and price -1 for disorganization -1 star for alleged shady business practices. read more

I guess there are outliers, so I have to say that I always get treated well by Karim. He is friendly, down to earth, makes sure the bike fits me, and spends extra time fixing little things for free. He even does free repairs if I got the bike from him. read more

Super sketchy, it's all been said in the other reviews. Suspicious where he gets the bikes from. Blatantly rude the way he treats people. And his prices are awful too. Do not trust this guy. Do not give this guy your business. Karma will come back to bite you in the ass. read more

You know, at first I gave him TWO stars! I figured, if zero were an option, I would probably have given him one. That is, he's bad, but he's not perfectly bad. Then I read what I had written and realized the shop is about as bad a place to buy a bike or get a repair as you'll find. Partly this is just because most bike shops are very good; it's a tough curve. If you're looking for a low-end, decent, well-tuned bike for not too much money, as I think most of Karim's customers are, head down to The Recyclery. Very nice guy there. I've bought a couple of small parts at Karim over the years, and I didn't feel any worse for it. I would worry about the provenance of anything nice/expensive, just as I would when buying at a fleamarket. Here are some observations: Yes, he can be very rude. The first time I went in to his shop, I told him I was looking for a rigid mountain-bike fork, suspension-corrected for... "MAN! I don't have time for this!" Stalks out and leaves me with snickering, wall-eyed man Friday. Also, if you ask if he has a certain part, then don't buy it when it's produced, he will be angry with you. I lived for years about three blocks from the shop, and often saw him berating customers for demanding too much/taking too long, etc. Yes, it's a terrible place for a new rider to buy a bike. He will get away with whatever he can. He will sell you a bike that's not in riding condition if you're willing to buy it. So don't buy there unless you're able to judge bike quality and condition. Yes, he will overcharge you if you let him. Whatever he asks for, you can bet he would settle for 40% less. Not happily, mind you. If he's asking $500 for that Rocky Mountain, and you offer $300, he'll counter with an old rigid Giant for $300. Just be willing to leave, and be firm. If you want the bike too much, he'll smell it. Like the observation above, this one suggests that he regards the shop-customer relationship as adverserial. If you know what you want and what it's worth, and you're not too eager, you'll be fine. I actually had a fairly long conversation with him around the time of the BPD investigation. He didn't deny that he had stolen bikes. He claimed that he didn't knowingly buy stolen bikes, and that BPD found only three suspicious bikes among the hundreds in the shop. He did not seem at all concerned that he might resell stolen bikes, and he didn't think he was obliged to be too diligent in ferreting out a bike's provenance. I have heard stories about tweakers rolling in with bikes and rolling out with cash, but I've never seen it myself. This may be just an urban legend. After all, enough people are convinced that the guy is dirty, that some of them may be willing to supply specifics they can't really vouch for personally. He can't be spending much to acquire bikes, though, because he doesn't seem to sell much. I sympathize with those who want to 'liberate' the hundreds of bikes in the shop. Apparently he has at least as many stored off-site. But if you're going to abolish private property, do you really want to start with (mostly crappy) used bikes. I feel sorry for the guy. Whatever is driving him to stockpile bikes, it's not economics, not rational self-interest. Running that shop is too much hassle, too much stress for someone who doesn't really care for his customers, and too little money. He does know a fair bit about bikes, contrary to what an earlier poster wrote, but much he doesn't seem up-to-date in his knowledge of suspension, etc, and he's no better with the wrench than the average shade-tree mechanic. So I don't think love of his product drives him to accumulate all those bikes. I think he has some sort OCD. read more

I needed a bicycle to get around Berkeley for a few weeks. After looking for days and walking for hours on Wednesday, I finally went to Karim's, tried out several used bicycles and bought one that looked not so bad as the other ones. Sean D. is right, the prices are made up out of thin air. The bicycle makes an awful lot of noise. I think a lot of things are wrong with it, including the ball bearing, a warped front wheel, twisted handlebars that are not adapted to the bicycle, etc. After using it ONCE, my backbone is in a pitiful state this morning. When I went to his store, I told Karim that I had back problems but he did not care. I was so exhausted by my search that I got tricked. I paid too much for a bicycle that surely spent months or years in the rain $150). I am surprised that there is no '"return policy" for used bicycles in California. That scrap (old bikes) can be dangerous! No need to specify that I a am not American (just a European not so young woman). I am at a loss. I do not know if there is something I can do. But I would not recommend Karim's bicycles at all. read more

stolen bikes. New bike prices for used bikes.

NEVER go here. He has thousands of bikes that he's not selling and will try to push you on the ones at the door. He showed up late and then even when I helped him unload his inventory, he still felt free to lie to me about the bikes (for example, he tried to tell me that some fat mountain bike tires were "hybrid tires"). I paid him $100 for used wheels and tires and when I came to pick up the bike, the tires were not the tires he said they would be and were fitted so poorly that the reflector was scraping against them. The bike was impossible to ride this way, proving he didn't test run them at all. His answer was to remove the reflector. These same tires were so worn out that they only lasted three months and the wheels were so out of whack that the spokes made a funny noise. When I first had to change the tube it was actually stuck to the inside of the rim. Furthermore, this guy has a reputation for dealing in stolen bikes. I suspect the reason he doesn't let people walk around the shop is because he got raided a while back. I love riding. I don't have a car, my bike is my freedom. But if I had no choice but to shop here I would never bike again. read more

I heard a lot bad reviews from this place. I don't rule anyone out until I check for myself. I figured it was a few unhappy customers..no big deal. BUT WOW! I guess everyone was right. First time I went there I was looking for a shifter. Guy kinda mumbles..I don't really have any. Fair enough..he wasn't too helpful..but I was wondering. Big shop full of used bikes..and no shifters? No big..I went on my way. Next time I went there..I was looking for a frame for a project. I walk up to the guy..and asks him if he has any. He just ignores me..and continues to work on a bike. AND I mean IGNORED! I stood there for a good minute with no response..a look up..or anything. I just left. Any response would have been fine.." no I don't have any" or.."What are you looking for" Nothing... Maybe he was busy? Sure..understandable. But the bike he was putting brakes on had a huge crack in the headtube. God I hope he wasn't planning on selling that to someone. I think the guy rates high on the douch-o-meter STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE! THE BENT SPOKE is down the street. Those guys are helpful and friendly and don't treat you like a jerk.. read more

Don't really know how this place stays in business. Service is lousy, the shop is impossible to enter, and the whole operation is a mess. On top of that, I know there are a lot of stolen bikes in there from talking to others who have seen friend's bikes there. Yikes. Stay away-- instead, visit recycle bicycle, or, preferably, waterside workshops for all of your used bike/parts needs. read more

Not open when they say they are, Waste of time.. looks like a chop shop anyway. Call ahead to see if they are open I guess!?

I have to write a review for Karim because he totally just made my day - no, my weekend. My bike seat (and post, and lights) was stolen a couple days ago. I took the bus to the shop, but ended up waiting 40 mins for the #1 [AC transit is delightful on weekends] and got to Karim's at 5:58 pm, 2 mins before closing, when all of the bikes were already jam-packed inside the place. I thought I was out of luck, but Karim was super nice and dug around for a post and a seat, which no easy task (the jungle of bikes seemed impenetrable to me). I ended up with a GREAT seat which he switched to a post that fit my bike, all for $30. This seat, by the way, is the most comfortable seat I've ever had the pleasure to ride on. He also sold me a back light and had to dig around for batteries. It was dark and cold and by this point it was well after 6pm, but he knew I needed the light to get home. I ended up paying him with my last singles and quarters for the light and he was just really patient and nice about the whole thing. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have been able to use my bike for the rest of the weekend... I will continue to go to Karim's when I want used parts for my bike. It can't be beat. read more

This guy is like a bad mechanic. He just makes up prices out of thin air and then tries to trap you into paying his high fees. And this place is a complete mess. So much crap everywhere, you cant even go inside. I came to him looking for a new rim the other day. He saw my bent rim and began working on it. I thought that was nice of him until he wanted money. Next thing you know he's yelling at me because I don't want to pay him for literally 30 seconds of tightening my spokes. So I rode off before things got violent and was yelling "FUCK YOU ASSHOLE" while I drove off. Sad part is, I was about to drop $300 for a bike. Looks like I will spend my money somewhere else. AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS!! read more

My review is similar to many others, and I'm giving it one star only because I have to. I went there earlier this week to see a bike listed on his website. He did not even recall having the item, tried to sell me something else, and wouldn't even let me into the store to take a look--a few years ago, at least I could still do that, but his store has become nothing more than a firetrap with bikes stacked high on top of each other. Guess the fire dept. and he must have agreed that he can keep the place, but only if no one goes inside. And yes, he sits outside on the sidewalk because there's probably not even enough space for him. Couldn't he at least sit in a chair? Whether he's selling stolen bikes or not, he really appears to be a pathological hoarder masquerading as a bike shop owner. It's such a shame--some perfectly good bikes that would otherwise provide decent transportation will just sit and collect dust. If he donated some of the bikes to local non-profits, priced the others to sell, and actually cared about customer service, why he might have a profitable business and get more of these bikes out on the road!!!??? However, I guess hoarding is much more fun....somebody help this guy. read more

I work near here, so I tend to be in the area pretty often. I've twice seen police there, appearing to intervene in arguments between the owner and various other parties. In both cases, I didn't stick around to try and determine the cause of the disagreement. After the place has closed, there's usually bike-related debris on the sidewalk in front of the store -- brake housing fragments and such. Not a big deal, but I wish the guy would clean up after himself occasionally, perhaps after he's finished piling the display bikes in the store's entryway when locking up for the night. I don't mind the place too much; it's such a spectacle. Wouldn't give money to the guy though. read more

I purchased a nice bycicle from this shop for $200 about a year ago for my boyfriend's birthday. Although it was hard to look through the shop with so many bikes inside, the helpful sales associate asked me what my goals were and quickly selected several appropriate bikes of the right size, in my price range. When I settled on one, he tuned it up for me and we discussed options I might have for touching up the paint, etc. I found some blue nail polish that matched very well and when I was done it looked very nice. Today, the shop owner helped me locate a special item I was looking for, even though he didn't have one in his shope. He gave me the contact information for someone selling a 3 wheel bike and didn't ask me for a commission, or anything. I thought that was very generous and considering how rare used 3 wheel bikes are, it was a big help to me. This kind of customer service will pay off in the long run becuase they will develop customer loyalty and referrals. read more

Awful, awful, awful. My bike was stolen and i was looking for mine/shopping around for a new one. Tons of bikes inside and only about a dozen (super crappy) over-priced bikes outside. I'm sure he keeps the good stash (I'm sure mostly stolen) inside to sell to buyers over the internet. He's a jerk and a poor addition to the community. His business directly feeds in to the criminal activity in the area. Don't shop there, tell your friends not to buy there. Let's put them out of business. read more