I live in the neighborhood. I have gotten public bikes repaired at this store. Many of its employees are nice. However, today the owner was rude and i will not be returning. My 8yr old daughter and I stopped by bc the chain on her bike was loose and i have no bike repair skills. Once the owner saw my daughter bike brand (Guardian), he refused to help. Then (with my daughter standing besides me), he proceeded to give me a several-minute diatribe about his hate towards the Guardian company and how they are a shitty company with bad biz practices. i respect any business owner to do business with companies of their choosing HOWEVER, to shit on the company of my daughter's bike right in front of her was rude and immature. Just say "we dont work on Guardian bikes"- end of story. So if you want to go to a bike shop with an owner that acts this immature in front of a child and clearly has a chip on his shoulder, this is the shop for you. i choose to do business with people who act with kindness and discernment. read more

Swell is my favorite bicycle shop in SF. Christian helped me yesterday. My chain broke and they were able to replace it on the same day if I lined up when the store opened. The line was about six deep at opening. Great communications. While they were working on my bicycle, I received a call letting me know my brakes and rotors needed replacing also. That saved me another trip and a potential safety hazard riding downhill. All in all, bleeding of the brakes, brake pads, chain replacement, rotors, fixing the bent rear derailer was $400. My bicycle feels new'ish now. The next recommended service was to change out the old cables. I'll be sure to do that soon. Love Swell Bicycles! Thank you again Christian for working on my bike. read more

Swell Bicycles - Bikes Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place is a circus; you could tell by the ring leader. Tried to charge me an assembly fee for a put together bike just off principle. Beware of this owner and company at all cost. read more

I brought in a brand-new e-bike that I had already fully assembled myself. I wasn't asking them to assemble the bike -- I simply asked if they could take a quick look at the brake caliper because it needed to be centered/adjusted. As soon as I mentioned that I had assembled the bike myself, the employee told me he would have to charge me their full $250 assembly fee. I understand charging $250 if someone walks in with a bike still in the box and asks you to assemble the entire thing, but my bike was already assembled and I was asking for help with one small adjustment. What made even less sense was being told that they could do a small repair like this if it were a used bike, but because it was brand new and I had assembled it myself, they would only touch it if I paid the full assembly fee. So at what point does a new bike become "used"? Should I ride it around the block and come back? The bike itself cost me around $250, so obviously I wasn't going to pay another $250 just for someone to adjust the brake caliper. This shop is very close to my home, and I would have happily come back for future repairs and maintenance. Instead, they lost a potential regular customer over a very strange policy. Unfortunately, after this experience, I wouldn't recommend this place to my friends. read more

I was looking for a new bike and visited the shop a couple of times, great experience both times. I bought a bike brand they didn't carry (X Labs) but took it and my old bike in for modifications/update....over 600 dollars. Again, great experience. Christian was awesome and we chatted about the rebirth of the Sunset and travel. I also conveyed by thanks to the owner, Uri. AND THEN, the very first time I rode my new bike after an upgraded crank set, I couldn't shift gears. I was stuck in high gear at the beach with an impossible climb back to my house near the magic steps. Fortunately, I thought, I was near the shop so stopped buy. Christian wasn't there. A young man said he would take a quick look and found the cable to the rear derailleur wasn't attached. He attached it, 5 minutes work. and asked me to pay 20 dollars. I was a bit surprised but agreed to pay. However, I din't bring any money and said I would return the next day to pay. This wasn''t acceptable to them. I offered to leave my bike (take Uber home). This wasn't acceptable either. Next thing I know Uri is telling me that I shouldn't come without an appointment or money. I asked that, under the circumstances. what was I supposed to do? In a very angry and loud voice, he told me to find another bicycle shop. Of course, I will. read more

The pursuit bars on my bicycle was hurting my back and my saddle was uncomfortable. I remembered this place had a nice selection of curated parts so instead of ordering online, I called Swell to see if they had any parts I could purchase and pick up today. Ron had very little to work with over the phone but still gave me some good information before inviting me to bring my bike over. After bringing my bike over and Ron had more visual context on my setup, he was able to explore and pinpoint exactly what I needed and what they had available. Good news for me, they had the saddle I was looking for and some cool looking riser bars that matches my bike. read more

Swell Bicycles - Bikes Near Me - San Francisco, California

I actually love this place. I have taken several bikes here over the years and they do everything from changing tires to fixing breaks. They also sell some stuff like bike locks and lights. Everyone is so nice and helpful! The employees totally want everyone to love riding their bike. They also have social biking events on their in store calendar which is so fun! read more

First time visit to the shop, Ron helped us in picking out a new helmet for my daughter. He was very informative by explaining different helmet types and fit. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a great bicycle shop with great service and a choice of fine equipment. read more

Not sure if anyone uses yelp anymore but want to support this small shop in the Sunset. I hadn't ever been in but took delivery of a bike I ordered from Giant online. They got it together in just 48 hours after receiving it and let me know I could pick it up. Seems to be running perfectly. It's a full suspension mountain bike and they helped me dial in the air suspension pressure as well as better calculate my tire pressures but weighing the bike and giving me the tire measurement. This is where we will be bringing our bikes for service in the future! read more

This is a great bike shop for experienced bicycle enthusiasts as well commuting and recreational riders. All of the staff are very honest, forthright, smart and informative. They recently sold my beautiful handmade touring bike that I had owned for many years. They had great advice for a few upgrades to make the bike more marketable. This bike was a large size, and they represented the bike very well and found the perfect buyer. The transaction was smooth and easy. This shop reminds me of the very best San Francisco bike shops of the past, such as The Bike Nook, The Fulton Street Cyclery, and the Bicycle Odyssey in Sausalito. The spirit of these shops lives on in Swell Bicycles. I really enjoyed the whole experience and would recommend this shop to anyone who enjoys riding. read more

Needed some bike boxes to ship some bikes and they were super happy to help. Have also bought several bikes here over the years. Great neighborhood shop. read more

Swell Bicycles - Bikes Near Me - San Francisco, California

Always excellent service and the staff have such wealth of knowledge. I always come here for my Giant TCR service.

These guys are the best. Went in today with an f'd up valve stem and wanted to get it replaced. Shop guy took it all apart, cleaned it out, gave me some advice for future self maintenance and didn't even charge me. Tossed a 10 spot in the tip jar. Thanks for the help!! read more

My front wheel was completely crushed, and I needed it repaired asap. Swell Cycle got the job done and the staff were all knowledgeable and courteous. read more

It does not get better than Swell! I am an amateur biker at best and have not always been welcome in a bike shop. The guys at Swell are SUPER. The team is kind and welcoming. Regarding my bike, they explained everything to me and were committed to getting my bike safely back on the road. I look forward to a long customer relationship with Swell. read more

The folks here gave me a cap for my handlebars and wouldn't take any payment when I offered. Super nice thing to do, good karma for the community. read more

Knowledge and friendly staff, they do a good job with bike repairs. They give you an estimate of how much it will be and update you if they have to do more things. Would recommend and come back again. read more

If I could give 5 million stars to Swell I would! An absolutely amazing local bike shop that has all of your cycling needs and a staff that is BEYOND AMAZING!! What makes them truly unique is the deep sense of community they nurture with their weekly Saturday rides and the genuine care that they give to all. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable and go above and beyond to assist customers. I've been in some jams and so grateful for the repairs they've done for me. Swell truly serves as a role model to other businesses. They are HANDS DOWN the BEST!!! Definitely check out their weekly Saturday group rides! They always select awesome routes across the bay area and welcome folks from all levels with a warmness, joy and camaraderie that is rare these days. Shout out to Ron, John and Kevin who are total ROCKSTARS!!!! XO Swell, YOU ROCK! XO read more

I stopped by swell on the recommendation of my neighbors who are avid cyclists. Me, not so much. I just wanted to test ride a few to get a feel for what was out there. Ron at swell exceeded my expectations with his objective approach to bike fit, type, and helped educate me on what I should be looking for. He didn't push swell's cycles, and I felt he genuinely just wanted me to find the best bike for me. He was also very honest with the state of their inventory given supply chain constraints. I test rode a Giant road bike while there, and he explained my size and fit a bit. Coolest bike I've ever tried thats for sure! Crazy how far bikes have come since my kiddie trek days... Whenever I find the one, I would def trust Ron and the Swell team to help with tune ups and things like that. Cool local shop! read more

tldr; friendly knowledgeable mechanics who deliver impeccable work quickly and communicate thoughtfully throughout the process. Best bike repair shop I've ever experienced after over 10 years of cycling in SF. I brought my Surly cross-check in as it has felt noisy and mechanically inefficient for a while. I brought it in on Saturday morning at 10, first come first serve. It was assessed by Ron and I was given a very reasonable $ estimate. They called me while they were doing the work to suggest some other enhancements that totally made sense so I went for it. It was ready by end of day. I don't recognize the bike that was returned to me. Transformational, I don't remember it riding this well brand new. I cannot wait for my commute now. read more

I love the guys at this shop. They always take the time to explain what's going on with my bikes, whether it's my higher end bike or one of the kids' bikes. I ride past another bike shop to go to this one. read more

Insensitive, rude, and cheap. I stopped into the shop mid-November with a heavy e-Bike in need of a tune-up. They told me I could make an appointment to drop off in a few weeks but would need to leave a $50 deposit. Despite the person's really bad attitude about my bike, about the current seat height (he spent 5 min telling me how tall it was even though I explained to him that wasn't the actual seat height), and they're complaining about how bad UPS guys were (even though I handed them a UPS notice that they obviously had missed when they opened the door that day -- I told them it's pretty hard for everybody in Covid) I decided to make the appointment and left the deposit. The week of the appointment, they kindly reminded me about the appointment ( I appreciated that) and so when I had to call and tell them I wouldn't be able to make it because I needed to take care of my 84-year old ailing father in law who had unfortunately contracted Covid, they were really understanding. (Thanks!) I then explained the missed appointment to my own father, he kindly went and got the bike and brought it to the shop to see if they could still fix it since I was going through a rough time. When my dad got there, they let him know that they had given the appointment spot away and that my dad should've called earlier (he was just trying to do a nice thing and surprise him.) I called them back to try and resolve and honestly, I think they were just embarrassed they had given my spot away, they complained about my dad's mask (I wasn't there I dont know what happened on that one, but def dont think my dad's bad about his mask, being that he's in a risk group himself) and then started to berate me about the whole thing. Listen Swell-dude, Im going through Covid I know how serious it is, no point in yelling at me. So they've gone ahead and despite taking in new business, they kept my deposit, which I think is cheap, lazy, and not neighborly of them. There's obviously some deep seeded insecurity at that place and I'm bummed I'll never be able to use them. But listen they're a small business and you may chalk up the above to a one-off (very well could be!) you should still give them a try. But anyone who talks poorly to caring for a sick person or to UPS guys/gals doing their jobs isn't anyone I want to do business with. Hope you enjoy my $50 deposit, Swell! read more

Most definitely an essential service during Covid times. The staff here operate masked and outdoors. They're friendly and so helpful. I was intimidated having once read that SF local bike shops can be mean, but that is not the case with Swell. I've been here twice for service now and they've been prompt, reasonably priced and very helpful. You can also email them with your question and they reply pretty quickly too. They're so great even other Sf bike shops recommend them. A shop I went to didn't have a part that I needed so they told me to check out Swell. I'll definitely be coming back here for any bike needs. They're located only 2 or so blocks from Golden Gate Park. read more

Swell Bicycles - Open for business during shelter in place 5/13! Yay - Bikes Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

These guys know what they are doing, trust them with their recommendations. Very friendly staff, I had lost a pulley wheel on one of my bikes and they managed to supply me with the replacement parts guilt free. They supply customers with the most useful products. They also host really fun group rides that are for all levels of fitness. So much fun! read more

This 5 star review goes to Will. Super nice guy, very informative and very patient when my friend was looking to buy a bike. He picked the perfect bike out for my friend which she absolutely loves. Will definitely be coming back to tune up my slow mountain Update Ron is the man! I called Ron a few days ago to get an idea of how to get my slow mountain bike to keep up with my road biking friends. He was super knowledgeable and went I detail what upgrade would work best. Gave me a suggestion of a bike tire size and I followed his recommendation and guess what? Mountain bike felt a lot faster! Great guy to deal with, nice and very personable. Will definitely be back! Thanks Ron and his crew! read more

The team at Swell is amazing. They're very helpful and have high quality products and service. Very happy to have such a great store in the neighborhood. read more

Purchased a used bike from another party, and brought it to Swell for a free assessment. The assessment was done by Ariel. Not only did Ariel not try to sell a more expensive tune up package, he indicated honestly the bike was in great shape and only needed a minor true wheel, which was a much cheaper service. Swell has won my business. read more

Amazing customer service! I emailed and called ahead of time to see if they had bikes for purchase that would suit me. To note I've never owned a bike as an adult and completely new to biking. Walking into a bike shop can be quite daunting but URI made it so easy. He emailed with some options he thought maybe good for me. I dropped by and he walked me through the options, differences between bikes, and even instructions on how to get on and off a bike. Keep in mind the store was super busy but he was efficient and friendly with anyone. I didn't feel rush or pressured to buy one , but I did ! Super happy so far. Will definitely come back here with biking needs. Thank you again Uri!! read more

Went in today for recs on new handlebars , and upgrading my bike pedals. This is my second visit , purchased a bike seat from Swell last month. First gentleman, I didn't catch his name, was friendly and made sure I had someone assist me with my pedal questions. Ron then assisted me, very knowledgeable and gave great recommendations based on what I was looking for, super friendly, patient and polite. I chose the MKS pedals, followed by having them installed same day. Alex installed my pedals immediately , and was very generous to give tips on caring for my fixed gear bike, very polite as well.Overall, I had a very great experience , and will continue to return for my bike needs. Thank you! read more

Great team at this shop- very knowledgeable, experienced and helpful regardless of the issue.

Swell Bicycles is awesome! My husband and I were out riding our bikes recently when we ran into some trouble in Golden Gate Park. Thank goodness we weren't too far away. I made a call asking if they had availability to look at my bike and they told me to come in. The guys who own the shop took care of my bike right away. I also bought some new handle bar covers that they installed. They saved the day for sure. They even gave me recommendations for future maintenance and design. Can't wait to come back again soon! read more

Swell Bicycles - The wonderful Swell team working on my bike - Bikes Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

Great service. Nice to have a good bike shop in the neighborhood. I like the security door made of bike frames!

Brought my old bike in for a tune and some upgrades. Ron and his crew had my bike ready to ride the next day. The work was really good, and he told me to come back in a month for a free check up on the cables. A professional, polite, and chill staff. read more

Although we did not get anything repaired or rented anything. I wanted to write this review because of how nice the people are in this shop. We initially went here to rent bikes for Golden Gate Park, but when we showed up they let us know that they weren't doing rentals quite yet due to the pandemic. They referred us to about 4 other bikes shops until we finally decided to rent scooters from Lime. However the guy who talked with us couldn't have been more helpful and told us to let all the other shops know he personally sent us. We will definitely be returning here when they decide to rentals again read more

My wife and I were super frustrated by the pandemic bike shortage - and all our problems were solved at Swell Bicycles! I called them with little hope of success - and got Alex on the phone! I told him what we were looking for a woman's hybrid bike, and he quickly checked the inventory and found two options that might work for my wife! We walked down to Swell (in our neighborhood) and she took both options for a spin. Alex gave us the pros and cons of each, and she rode away the very happy owner of a gorgeous Bianchi Iseo! Alex was great. We are super happy and this will be our go-to bike shop for years to come! read more

I needed to get my integrated seat post cut. I emailed the shop and was told to stop by either Saturday or Sunday a few minutes before open to have it taken care of. Huge shout out to Ron! He took care of the seat post cut and my rear brake re-cable service. Ron was super friendly and knowledgeable. He gave me tons of tips and advice as I recently made the switch to a road bike. Bless this shop and its amazing service to the biking community. read more

My son and I recently brought our bikes to get tuned up with his being a brand new Hybrid and mine having never been adjusted since purchasing it over 15 years ago. This is a small neighborhood shop located in the Outer Sunset. One of things I learned was since it is a small shop and with the added popularity of biking due to Covid, you will need to make an appointment to have your bike serviced for a tune up. Once an appointment is made, a week before the appointment you will have to bring your bike by to get evaluated so that in the event that you need new parts they will know to either order it or have it in stock. During this visit, you cannot leave tour bike with them. The day before your appointment, you drop off your bike and on the day of the actual tuneup they will call or text you when it is ready to be picked up. I mainly dealt with Ron who was one of the mechanics during this whole process and he was top notch and provided a lot of advice since I am not a serious cyclist. He even convinced me to purchase a new helmet which I eventually did on Amazon as I had my helmet when I had bought my bike. One last thing, they are closed on the first Thursday of the month. read more

All of the great reviews for Swell Bicycles are well deserved. I just bought my first bike in almost a decade so i was a a little apprehensive that i might be upsold something that i didn't need. This was absolutely not the case. All of my questions were answered very honestly and i felt no pressure. I love my new bike, and the customer service was outstanding. I will definitely be coming back for all my biking needs, and will definitely be recommending Swell to my friends. 10/10 read more

Swell Bicycles - Bikes Near Me - San Francisco, California

Took kid's bike in today to get the tires filled up, and a super friendly guy at the shop not only let us borrow the air pump free of charge -- but took the time to explain to me exactly how to use it (myself being a bike newbie). He wasn't pushy about any products or sales tactics -- just helping the neighborhood out to ultimately put a smile on a kid's face. Thanks Swell Bicycles for being awesome -- we'll definitely look to get you some business down the road. read more

I needed help. From out of town with a flat, a leaky spare and two broken tire levers. They fixed my flat despite being really busy that day, and had replacement levers too. Service was professional, polite and Covid safe. Great local shop! read more