A+ experience. I purchased a used mountain bike for $180. Kat was extremely helpful and patient as I tried about 10 different bikes that covered a wide price range. She adjusted seats, handle bars, etc. as needed for each test ride. The bike I chose was clean, nicely tuned, had many new parts, and needed nothing to ride out the door. Only some very minor surface rust on the handle bars (just an observation, not a complaint) but everything else feels like new. The gears shift effortlessly and the brakes are almost too good! I highly recommend Waterside Workshops! read more

I've been over there a few times and the friendly and ever so helpful bike mechanics take their time and teach you how to do it yourself. I took in a bike that my friend was planning on taking to the dump and rode away with a perfectly great bike...after they helped me sort out new brakes and gears and tires. They have what you need on hand (new and used parts), so you walk out of there feeling very accomplished (having just sort of fixed your own bike) and like you just participated in what community should be about. People helping people...and stuff like that. I recommend these guys all the time and can't say enough good things about 'em. read more

Free tools, free help, free knowledge. I have only used the Street Side Cycles portion of Waterside Workshops. There's also sewing and boat crafting. This is an East Bay jewel. read more

What a great pace to fix your bike! The staff was very helpful and got us started right away with the right tools and a bit of quick instruction on how to make the adjustments we needed. I'm no expert and my son is a complete novice to bike repairs, but they got the bike up on the rack, and thanks to their help, we had it running smoothly in no time at all. They even showed us how to take apart and clean a shifter, something that most shops would rather not even touch. And the best part besides Miles in the background: it was free. Highly recommended. read more

I'm not very knowledgeable about bikes, but when I needed a new bike, a friend of mine who is told me to go to Street Level Cycles. The guys there were, as advertised, good people, as eager to teach me about bikes as they were to sell me one. After I chose a bike (they are extraordinarily cheap), Chris offered to switch in a new set of pedals for me. I agreed and he said, "Great, this will be a chance for you to learn how to change a pedal." A minute later, I was on the floor changing my own pedals while Chris wandered around the shop greeting new people (all the while keeping an eye on me). I adjusted the seat under his instruction as well, and rode out with a cheap bike, some new knowledge, and a grin on my face. The bike wasn't perfect--the brakes are a little loose--but now I actually want to fix it myself. One thing: Street Level Cycles only takes cash. read more

This place is amazing! Everyone who works and volunteers here is not only really knowledgeable about bikes, but really cares about sharing their skills and love for bikes. They are a bunch of really great people and are very down-to-earth. I just moved to the Bay Area, and not only did they hook me up with a sweet used frame and other parts, but they also helped me fix it up and put it together myself. They have a good collection of parts and used bikes that are ready to sell. It was very affordable, and by putting together a bike, I learned a whole lot in the process. Definitely the place to check out if you're interested in learning about bikes, looking to buy one, or just want to get involved in a rad community resource. Hooray for used bikes getting new lives! read more

100% sweet Got a wheel that I need for a super great price. Fit right into my poor man's budget. Chris gave me a ton of education and instruction, I know a hell of lot more than I did, fixed the wheel myself, and slapped it on my ride Reminds me a lot of the recyclery in the north bay but the mechanics were a lot cooler (no offense to handful of cool mechanics that I have met at the recyclery) read more

If you are new to bike maintenance or you've been doing it for years this is the place to go. They have all the tools and most of the parts you need it keep your not-too-fancy bikes going strong, if you don't mind digging a bit to find that really obscure doodad to screw on a old thingy. For those who are out of work or just cheap, there is plenty of cheap parts for next to nothing that should keep you rolling. Staff is very helpful and instructive, but can't give you constant personal attention when there are a lot of people. You never know if it is going to be busy or not, I suggest swinging by early or not being too attached to getting it all done that day. I understand they are non-profit and get grants from City of Berkeley, so it's your bike workshop too! read more

I have recently been corrected. They do sell entire bikes here. I can't vouch for the variety or quality but I have been told both new and used. read more

The best bike shop I've ever experienced. Helpful while still retaining a certain "Teach a man to fish" style about having you learn to handle your own bike biz. Cheap. Awesome location. Great mission statement. Good vibe (like old, pre-yuppie, Berkeley). Luckily, my bike keeps breaking when I am within a few blocks of this place. read more

Love this place! The people working are ridiculously helpful and awesome, the prices are great, and their mission is an inspiration.

Thank you Nick Bertonie for making this place a reality. And thank you Ingrid, Chris, Sosa, and the many others for carrying that dream forward into the amazing resource Water Side Workshops is today. --If your going to get a bike, get it here or at missing link, these Two places make bicycling a real possibility. I drag all my friends without bikes to Water Side Workshops --Want to sew something? Come on over, they are fully set up and growing. With all the machines you could ask for and more, and they'll help you on the design, the construction, and or set you free. Plus they have lots of free fabric. --they also have a nice looking boat shop, but the guy says bad things about nick, and I like Nick Bertonie, and I like all the work Nick Bertonie has done. PS. you cant hang out here if you have good things to say about Nick Bertoni, so keep your mouth shut if you know whats god for you. If you wanna make friends with Chris, Heraldo, and Amber start talking bad about some guy named nick. read more

I always have a grate time at Water Side Workshop. I get helpful tips and save hundreds of dollars.

Not only was my chain 1/2 the price that I was quoted at the local bike shops, but I was shown how to put it on. Thank you guys! They even helped me how to replace a brake cable cover - and I have NO experience maintaining my bike (aside from occasional greasing and flat tires). Everyone should know about this place! read more

What a great little place. I can't speak for the repair work they do, but their self-help shop is great. It's nice to be able to work on your own bike without have to have the room for a repair stand and all the tools. read more

I didn't know anything about bikes when I went in here and I left feeling a lot more comfortable fixing a bike by myself. These guys were very helpful and I got to use all the tools I needed. I also got a new seat post which I was charged on $5 for. Great place! There's a sewing workshop right next door too! read more

Awesome experience overall. Knowledgeable staff, friendly coopers, and positive energy. It is very affordable.

I've heard about this place from some friends, and I ended up coming here after my crankset somehow tore off. Anyhow people here were extremely knowledgeable about nearly everything. They were willing to give me a spare crankset for free too! Also I'm almost positive they have every bike tool known to mankind. I ended up donating some spare tires I had since they were taking up space, but if you need some serious work done and have no clue how to start I recommend Waterside Workshops. read more

Went down looking for a cheap commuter bike, walked away fifteen minutes later with a bike, Kryptonite lock and lights all for $155. Super helpful guys, limiting selection but worth a look. Plus, you can go there to work on your bike which I'll definitely keep in mind for the future. read more

Lovely waterfront spot right next to the University exit from the freeway. Follow the signs to frontage road and park under the trees. Waterfront is a combination of bicycle repair, boatbuilding and coffee shop work experience for youngsters so getting a coffee here does good while doing good. Beyond the good deed nature of the place it makes for a friendly welcoming place with excellent espresso/coffee and snacks (including dog biscuits) with a pleasant outdoor atmosphere to take in a bit of nature in the middle of the urban agglomeration. Pleasant lakefront walks, benches to admire the view complete the restful nature of this stop. read more

Went to Waterside Workshops/Street Level Cycles on a recommendation from a friend who had purchased a used bike there a few months back. It was the first stop on the list, and after a couple of hours of trying different bikes (leave an ID, you can test ride), there was one sweet deal could not be missed; and that bike left with a new owner. Chris is pretty incredible. He's honest, straightforward, and won't try to sell you something you don't need or won't use. He asks questions, listens to your needs, and you leave with just the right bike. Excellent service; highly recommended. read more

I wish every bicycling community had a similar place. This weekend I spent 5 hours working on my bike, rebuilding hubs, servicing, adjusting everything, etc. Cory was extremely helpful and knowledgeable, in addition to being very friendly. My roommate rebuilt his Craigslist bike here for a couple bucks, versus the 200+ that a shop would have charged. It's empowering to learn to do your own mechanic work on your bike. read more

Waterside Workshop (Street Level Cycles) is the best bike shop in Oakland and Berkeley for both learning to work on your bike and buying parts. Learning: There are 6 stands and usually 3-5 mechanics that help you work on your bike projects. People's projects range from simple maintenance like adjusting derailleurs and truing wheels to complete overhauls. The KEY thing that makes Waterside great is how relaxed and unpretentious the mechanics are. They are all very knowledgeable and very approachable. Of course, the price is right too... a recommended $10 donation. Buying Parts and Bikes: Tubes, Chains, Bottom Brackets, cables, everything is cheaper here! I bought a new brake cable at Tip Top Bike Shop for $5. At Waterside $2. A new Sealed Bottom Bracket at The Spoke $30. At Waterside $15. The exact part! I am pretty sure they do not sell new bikes here but they do sell built up used bikes for great prices. Lastly, they have a pretty solid collection of used parts but it is so busy here it gets picked through pretty fast. Overall I would recommend Waterside to anyone who is learning to work on their bike, people who don't want to get ripped off or talked down to at normal shops, or people looking to buy a quality used bike. read more

Not so great, I been there twice, the door is open and people are working there but they say it's close and refuse to help me, even when I was there just to buy some tire patches, don't worry looking at their website they don't update the open for business hours so you can get rejected at any given time and they are not very polite about it. read more

For those supporting recycling of used bike parts then this place is THE place for you. There is an amazing inventory of bike parts, all cleaned, organized, and ready for your your bike. The workshop is fully equipped with a number of stands and available for use to work on your bike. Trained staff are available to offer assistance as desired. This place is a gem beyond being a very low cost way to fix your bike. Everything from its mission, giving a second life to used bike parts, to offering training opportunities for youth, this organization is worth the visit and your support. read more

Bike is tuned up and ready to go! No hassles service!

One of my favorite places to spend time in Berkeley (Which I need to do more). The staff is really knowledgeable, and if they don't know whats going on, they won't BS ya. I love it. read more

Street Level Cycles is a great, friendly, helpful facility!!! Would recommend going here over LuLu's cycle in downtown Berkley.

i used to go to this place after school on tuesdays and thursdays when i was a little kid and i would build the weirdest bike and then they would get stolen from me because i live i a horrible neihborhood. i just came back to berkeley recently after being in a accedent in portland on my beautifle vintage binachi track bike. it got shredded up. now ive been fixing up my old trek elance 400t that i road in high school and ive need to get some used parts and new tools. so ive been looking for a cool bike shop to get used parts from (its hard to find) and i found this really cool place on sacremento ave. called Recycle Bicycles in the past few week ive really grown to love this bike shop almost everything is used and recycled every time i walk in the place it reminds me of tinkers workshop. read more

This is my favorite bike shop in the world. I've spent years traveling all over in the industry and can't think of a better thing to do then spend time in different shops. Waterside is the shop that I hope exists everytime I go out to try a new one. I love swanky, boutique shops displaying beautiful Euro works of art, but there's a place for high end, and it's not as part of a neighborhood. The whole premise of Waterside is unique, and I wish you could find this model more widespread. Chris and Shade and the volunteers can help you get anything together, whether it's a daily commuter or a fun project. And the cost? always next to nothing. They offer education instead of the common snobbery that so many shops exude back in maintenance. It's a bike school, hang out, social club... they should put in a tap and make pizza. read more

I LOVE this place! The bike part is great and so is the boat rental. You can rent a boat and row on Aquatic Park. They have various types of boats- row boats, kayaks and canoes. It's a nice way to spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. read more

This is an awesome place! I took our 7 year old over with an old bike that needed a lot of everything: brakes, gears, chain, air, oil, tweaking,... A couple of hours later she rode out with a fully functioning, and above all, safe bike! Super nice folks working there, very patient with kids, and even with grown-ups who know nothing about bikes. We both learned a lot about how bikes are put together, and she rode her new old bike home with great pride and confidence, knowing she'd participated in making it road worthy. Some other pluses: A safe bike path outside to try out bike fixes, and to take a nice ride around Aquatic Park, a fun playground just up the road, and boat building and sewing labs next door. Just a great afternoon of hands-on learning and confidence building! read more

I couldn't beleive my ears! A friend had their handlebars stolen and went here to get them replaced. The mechanics said it would cost $400 to replace, since it had STI shifters. She doesn't know about bikes, and shouldn't have too. I know about bikes though, and you don't need to use STI shifters, just flat handlebars and any generic shifters should work, grip shift, index, dual click, whatever.... I told her about the option of replacing the handlebars and shifters with less fancy ones and was she ever relieved. I fixed it myself for free with some parts off a kids 21-speed Magna. It took 20 minutes. Why should a non-profit not suggest doing things like this, I don't get it. I've been to this place over 200 times myself for spare parts. I would give it 5 stars if the employees were more open minded, and helpful. Over the last few years, the place has become much more profit- aimed. They put makeshift pricetags everywhere trying to get you to buy things, that sometimes are broken already. And what really sucks is that people donate bike here for re-use. A lot of these end up in the recycling in their backyard, which they have in a dumpster under lock and key. You don't even have a chance to use a lot of it. Even if you're smart enough to make 90% of it ride again, the employees turn into executioners if you try and get it. read more

this place is awesome! we came here based on the yelp reviews to look for a decently priced used bike, but we were not really sure what to expect. at first it was a little intimidating because there were a lot of people and we couldn't tell who worked there. once we got some staff attention, however, everyone was really helpful, including chris, julian, and two other people (who i think were volunteers, but whose names i can't remember). they helped us pick out a nice bike for a good price, helped with some adjustments, watched us ride and gave us advice, and also provided some info and history about the place. the staff and volunteers weren't pushy about the sale and made sure we were getting an appropriately sized bike. chris also got really excited when we told him we found out about the place through yelp. so i'm writing this review in hopes that more people will come. we will definitely go back to get help with our bikes! read more

kind people. i got a bike from them and it works wonderful. they have industrial sewing machines that can be used for a small fee. stellar. the water area is beautiful on a sunny day. pet shelter nearby. read more

doh! i'm sure this place is great, but it doesn't do me a lot of good when i get a flat on monday morning. :(

Friendly awesome staff that does not talk down to you if you are a woman (5 foot 2) shopping alone and that listens to you when you tell them what you are looking for in a bike. They didn't have a whole lot in my size when I went but they let me try out what they did have and told me to come back the following week. Their used bikes all seem to be in pretty good condition (not rtoo rusty like the bikes at some other used bike shops) and I like that they have workshops to help you build your own bike if you have the time for that. I went here twice when I was looking for a new bike, but ended up getting one somewhere else. I'd definetly recommend this shop to friends that are looking for new used bikes. I probably would have come back here for the Specialized Rock Hopper if I hadn't fallen in love with a Fuji at Performance Bike. Oh, and also the location right next to the marina is great for test riding bikes. ;) read more

very helpful customer service, I was pleased with the repairs and they were able to teach me to tune my bike as well as a few laughs :) I have been back since and again they treated me so well. read more

Super nice and very helpful. They explained what was up with my bike making noise and they fixed it. Plus they are a non-profit and support the neighborhood with free use of bike stands and tools! read more

Great help for cheap (free in fact). Helpful, informative, even willing to stay open late to get you home on your bike (don't test this theory). Seriously though, they do exactly as they say, and make you more confident in working on your bike yourself. read more