After two quick and reasonably priced tire repairs, I brought my bike in for a broken handbrake. He told me it was repaired, I took it away-- and it was just as broken as it was to start out with!!! So I had to bring it back. He did not charge me for the re-do, but I was still angry that he caused me a safety issue by telling me something broken was repaired. Made suspicious by this interaction, the next time I had an issue a few weeks later (with clunky gear shifts), I took it to Trek Bicycles down the street. Trek told me my brake pads were almost worn out, my gear chain was stretched and close to wearing out, and the rubber (not the tube) was almost worn through on back tire. The audacity of doing a brake repair and not telling me my brake pads were almost worn out!!! Not to mention, not telling me about all those other serious issues with my bike. It is very unprofessional not to mention problems with a bike that is taken to you for repair. The shop is so crowded with half-repaired bikes you cannot physically walk over to the counter. In retrospect, that should've been a warning sign for me. I feel like the sloppy work I received here risked my safety, and I'm pretty angry about it. I usually hate posting negative reviews, especially for small businesses, but this time I'm upset enough that I feel like warning other customers. read more

Very polite and helpful! Helped me find the best prices when my budget was limited. Thank you!

Experienced shop with the array of bikes everywhere shows it! Charley's, a nice guy and a problem solver that I cannot find elsewhere. Always helps me with my bike projects, read more

Lakeview Bicycle - The upgraded fork I needed the bearing cup on. - Bikes Near Me - Oakland, California

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it didn't come up for me right away in the search- but charlie's bike repair was the key search terms LOVE!! this bike shop!!! charlie helped me SO much repair wheels & other issues & didnt over charge at all - realllllllly appreciated the service & community- highly recommend!!! thanks charlie!!! read more

my friend dropped their bike off there and had the worst service. they took almost a week to even work on the bike, then they charged them and didn't explain what they charged them for. my friend is super disappointed and confused about what even happened, and will never go back because they felt so crappy after. read more

Brought in a bike I bought off of Craigslist and needed various things including refitting. I was so happy with how the bike turned out I was smiling my whole ride home. Awesome neighborhood shop that is clearly beloved by many. Thank you! read more

My experience was very similar to Eric M's review. Dropped off my son's bike to get a tune-up. Pretty basic mountain bike. Told him it needed a new chain, gears greased, derailer adjusted, and a new chain. He says to come back in a week. I do. It is not ready. He says try again in 3 more days. I do. It is not ready. He says come back in 3 more days. It is still not ready. I basically demand it be finished the next day. It finally is. He does not replace the chain. The derailer is still not good. Just walk into the store and look around. It is like a mountain of bikes on top of each other. Very disorganized. I don't know how they stay in business. If you just need a new tire or to patch a flat, it is fine. Otherwise, stay away. read more

Mostly good service but they lost my U Lock. I had it on the handlebars when I dropped my bike off, and wasn't there when I picked my bike up and left. I didn't notice until I was home and called them and they said they looked but didn't find it. I know for a fact that it's not in my house, and that I didn't have it when I left the shop read more

I really have no idea how this place is even open. I dropped off my bike and two weeks passed, so I decided to call. No answer. Call again. No answer. I go to the shop and the owner says that he hasn't worked on it. Two weeks passed. No phone call. I call. No answer. I forget my bike for another two weeks. I call. No answer. I go to the shop after what now is some six weeks later. I walk into a pile of junk. I have to clear my throat a few times before a disheveled man comes out looking as if I woke him from a slumber. I give him my name and expect my bike to be fixed. It's been at least 8 weeks. He tells me he hasn't worked on it yet. Wtf? How does this place even stay open?! read more

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 read more

Lakeview Bicycle - Going to sell this bike after a tune up from Lakeshore and find a better size for me. Great little road bike! - Bikes Near Me - Oakland, California

Rolled up on my ebike today for help changing my new more comfortable seat. Owner was able to to help me on the spot which was really nice of him. He was able to quickly change the seats and even helped me put my tail light back on. I was then off and comfortably riding--well, getting used to riding an ebike. read more

Every time I go there, I get great service, friendly advice. A super resource for the Lake Merritt community.

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. read more

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! read more

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

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 read more

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! read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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 read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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

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. read more

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. read more

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.) read more

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. read more

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

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. read more

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! read more

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! read more

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! read more

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. read more

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! read more

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

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! read more