I made two visits to this shop. Once to drop off my bike. Once to pick it up. I will never return.
COVID WARNING
The owner of this shop, Mike, was not wearing a mask over his mouth or nose during either of my two visits. He did have a mask, however, it was hanging from one ear off his face. Neither he nor his staff appear to respect a six-foot distance. I actually saw him pat one customer on the back. If you have any concerns about COVID, I would strongly recommend staying away.
POOR COMMUNICATION
I stopped by this shop for a tune-up on my bike. At the time I dropped it off, they looked over the bike and I was reassured they would "take care of everything". In contrast to this, I received a call shortly thereafter stating that some tune-up items were not included in the tune-up. I have literally had dozens of tune-ups performed at various shops, so I was pretty surprised by this. They stated they would need more money.
For example, the minor lateral truing of the rear wheel had an extra charge of $100. During the call, they said it would be quick to true since it "wasn't that bad" and that they would do it for $75. I tried to share with the owner on the phone, Mike, that his competitors down the street include basic lateral truing in their tune-up and that I assumed it would be included there as well. He kept interrupting me on the phone and wouldn't listen. He said everyone charges extra for certain tuning items and his tune-up is a "quick & basic" tune-up. I pointed him to his competitor's website (there at Irving and 15th Ave) which said truing was included in a tune-up. They also had an a la carte menu that showed it was only $15-$25 if performed outside of tune-up. This was in drastic contrast to his $75 quote. The call had the feel of "I am fishing for more money". I told him I'll just pick up the bike and bring it to his competitor.
POOR QUALITY
* My bike was returned from the tune-up without the rear brakes working!!! I rode off with a bike that didn't have rear brakes. They had forgotten to reconnect them. Also, there was oil literally dripping off the chain (see uploaded photos). This is messy - its now all over the frame and rear rim. But its also a maintenance nightmare because it collects dirt.
* The front brakes were squeaking like a banshie when I rode off from the tune-up. They failed to tune the front brakes.
* The derailer had not been tuned-up during the tune-up. The gears were skipping when I rode off.
STRANGE SHOP
This shop is weird! Its small and the bikes are so packed in that its impossible to peruse the inventory. Mike uses it as a combined cell phone repair and bike repair shop (see photos). Lastly, it has an ATM.
PAYMENT
3% surcharge for credit card and no checks accepted. Bring lots of cash.
COST
SF Wheels is very pricey. They charge about 10-15% higher for a basic tune-up than other bike shops nearby. I understand they need to pay the inevitably expensive Cole Valley rent, but the cost makes them more expensive. I mistakenly thought this extra expense meant higher quality.
My mistake.
RUDE OWNER
Mike is just an unpleasant person. At every turn he seeks to upsell you, and doesn't have the ability to listen to the customer. And he's just unpleasant to work with.
RESULT
I rode away from my tune-up at SF Wheels straight to another shop at 15th and Irving. At the other shop they immediately through my bike up on the rack, began spinning the wheels and testing the brakes, then said, "it looks like your bike needs a tune-up." YES, right after I left a tune-up at SF Wheels! Unbelievable. They did the (second) tune-up on the spot. They did the rear wheel truing at no extra charge because they include it in the tune-up. My visit to SF Wheels was a costly waste of time. read more