Generally I buy local and even though there are a number of great bike shops in Oakland, I found a few on Craigslist with great prices at Bike Czar. The bike I wanted was ultimately a little small for my height but luckily Dave and Brooks had a better one to match my long legs. This one didn't fall under the sales price I had anticipated but they gave me an excellent price - and Dave changed out the steam within minutes (for free)! It's a way from home (for me), but Santa Rosans are lucky to live near such a great bike shop. read more

Nice place to pick up used but nice and clean parts/components for your bike now since they remodeled. Friendly folks. The bikes seem reasonably priced and well reconditioned. Much better option for a quality ride vs. going to Wallyworld or Target. read more

I have bought mostly used bikes all these years of being a bike commuter and weekend cyclist, and think that Bike Czar does a fantastic job of posting their current inventory online and of having the bikes they sell in mint, ready-to-ride condition. The folks there the day I bought a road bike were fit specialists and were so helpful with decision making that was good fore and not just selling the most expensive bike. I will definitely buy from them again. read more

This review is for the fantastic customer service I received this afternoon from Carissa and Brooks. I got a flat tire around the corner and stopped in to see if I could get a new tube. I've never been in before. I didn't know how to put the new tube in so they both took the time to walk my husband and I through the process including pointers. Nice people and amazingly helpful. When I graduate to needing a new bike I will definitely check them out first. read more

My boyfriend and I went in just looking for a bike for myself. We had a pleasant experience Dave helped us and thanks to him my boyfriend decided to buy a bike for himself for a great price. I highly recommend this place for both price and service! Thanks bicycle czar read more

These guys are the best. My wife and I bought bikes here a couple of months back. Brooks was super helpful in helping us choose the right bikes for our needs, without spending a load of money. He even switched out my wife's bike seat when she decided she needed a little more comfort - no charge for the upgraded seat and we were in and out in 5 minutes - literally. I tell all my friends about Bike Czar - I had a great experience there and know they will too. read more

Great service, and friendly and knowledgeable staff. Great place to buy a bike. I was looking for an upgrade but didn't want to pay the high prices for a new bike. The Czar had a great selection. I bought the perfect bike for me. The price was right and the staff even helped me with the extras I needed (rack, etc.). Follow up service is terrific too! read more

These guys know their stuff and handle buisness. We were looking for a bike my 14 year old would be comfortable with, both rideability and appearance (as most of you know how a teen can get). We were in, done and out within 20 mins with the perfect bike at a great price. Knowledgeable and friendly. read more

Brooks responded quickly to my questions regarding a few bikes that were on their website. Came in the following Sunday by appointment and met with Dave. My experience couldn't have gone smoother. I left with the bike of my dreams and my questions were thoroughly answered. Thanks Bicycle Czar! read more

Had a great experience here. Bought a nice road bike and swapped my hybrid. Dave was awesome . Fair deal, good service relaxed easy transaction Highly recommend read more

Great customer service. It was a casual Saturday morning ride with a buddy. We started from Sebastopol to Santa Rosa and back. I had a minor crash along the Prince Memorial Trail. Bent and cracked my front wheel. Luckily, I wasn't too far from the bike shop. I waited about ten minutes before they opened up (they open ten that morning) and they quickly replaced my front wheel and trued my rear wheel as well. I wish I knew the guy's name, but the bike mechanic was quick and professional. Got me back on the road within fifteen minutes. Thanks guys and good luck on your double century ride!! read more

I ordered a bike through Ebay-- the order was shipped immediately, but somehow it wasn't delivered to my house due to the mysteries of the FedEx/USPS Partnership. No fault of bicycle Czar. Then . . . I thought that they failed to ship the fork with the frame, so I started the resolution process through eBay, creating considerable drama. Of course, the fork was shipped with the bicycle-- it was merely removed from the head tube to facilitate shipping and wrapped in cardboard to protect the finish. I overlooked that detail during the unpacking process. It was shipped with the bike the whole time. Brooks was super chill about the whole mix-up and I really appreciate his calm demeanor. I haven't visited the shop in person, but if Brooks is any indication, this is a solid outfit. read more

Checked out Bicycle Czar after my wife and I decided to pick up a bike for cruising around the neighborhood and local easy trails. The folks working there were very helpful. I wanted a cheap bike, I don't need disc brakes or 50 gears or a bike made of carbon fiber. They weren't pushy and didn't try talking me in to a more expensive bike. I really appreciate that. My only complaint was they didn't have much of a selection of gear. Anyway, they have a bike for just about everyone and their bike selection changes frequently. read more

Great people to work with. I got a fantastic bicycle at a great price. They went above and beyond to make everything perfect for me. Thank y'all so much. read more

I would like to express my most sincere thanks to Brooks at The Bicycle Czar , Mariko, Kevin, and all the guys at Echelon Cycle Multisport. For helping me get my brand new bike back. My bike was stolen out of the back go my SUV in my drive way in May, about 5 days before My first Monte Rio Vineman. Well fast forward to last week when Brooks called and said that he had my bike at his shop. Someone brought it in and tried to sell it to him. Suspecting it was stolen he tracked me down using the Echelon sticker and I was able to retrieve my bike. Thank you soooooooo much to Brooks and all the awesome people that helped. Here's to buying and supporting local the economy. It pays off. Please support these amazing businesses. read more

Overall, kind of a disappointment. Didn't have the parts I needed, and the ones they did have seemed pretty overpriced for my old clunker. I didn't meet Brooks the owner (I think that's his name?), but the guy at the counter just kind of blew me off when it was clear that I wasn't into buying one of their old retros for $300. Better service at your local bike shop. Some pretty cool old bikes, though, but also in kind of a weird location. read more

Several years back I bought a frame from Brooks on ebay . at the time he was "the sultan of schwag " . He chose FedEx as shipper and the frame disapeared . No refund ! Not very proactive . read more

Over priced for recycled bikes, better off purchasing a new one off line. Or, if you want a good recycled bike go to Uncle Crusty's just north of Czar, he seems to be more practical with his pricing on old bikes. read more

Buyer beware: way overpriced. If people buy bikes from here and are happy with them I'm glad for those people but BCzar prices are consistently twice the common value on every bike they list, i.e. they ask $250-$300 for a basic beater worth $100-125. Putting hours of work into a $50 beater doesn't make it worth $300.Show any ad of theirs to someone who knows bikes fairly well and they'll tell you the same. He must be a good salesperson to talk people into buying their bikes. So if you find a bike here and are happy with it great, but all the posts about good prices are either grossly uninformed or bogus. read more

This guy is awesome! I heard about this through word of mouth. I was looking to build a bike for my birthday and he matched me up with the perfect bike! All you have to do is tell him your height, price range, and anything else you might be looking for in a bike (style, brand, etc) and he will match you up with the bike you need. My roommate had a beautiful 70s vintage peugot road bike that was totally destroyed (the crank wouldn't turn, etc) after he had been hit by a car. We took the bike to a local shop that said the parts could not be replaced, and then pointed him toward a bike that was of "same value" that costed 800 dollars. He then took his bike to Bicycle Czar, and he was able to replace everything that was damaged for around 200 dollars. This guy is not looking to scam you for any reason, even if you don't know too much about bikes. If I ever have any problems with my bike, I am going to rush right back to this place. read more

after reading highs and lows and respect to the industry and the way this business is run ! Sorry to Say thumbs down!

I ordered a 6-speed freewheel for my mountain bike. Charged it to my Visa card and waited a couple weeks. No delivery. So I emailed to see what was up. No reply to email. So I emailed again. Still no reply. Eventually I got the Visa card dispute service to get my $41 back. Maybe if you're in Santa Rosa you could get a deal from this Czar, but I won't bother trying again! read more

I got a great bike today. Brooks is such a terrific guy. I loved doing business with him. He's knows his stuff and his prices are fair. I liked that I was able to take a couple bikes for a spin around Julliard Park which is just down the street from the shop. I'm so happy I got my used bike! It's in great condition and I saved a lot of money. Another thing I appreciated is that the Bicycle Czar is available by appointment on weekdays. I had Brooks undivided attention. I couldn't ask for a better experience. read more

Brooks helped me with a bike for my son and we helpful and not pushy about making a sale. They have all the parts you need and tune ups are reasonable priced. read more

The concept of buying a used bike that has been gone through and tuned up is really cool. Factor in a decent selection of old hipster, and one of a kind bikes and you have a different sort of shop, Brooks, the owner is a nice guy, I've purchased two bikes from him over the last few years. He is knowledgeable and super helpful. That being said , you don' t see much of Brooks around these days. After spending roughly $1200 at his old shop i have called his new shop a total of 4 times for help/info regarding my bike. i have been told 3 different times that "someone will call you back", only to have no one do so. This kind of sucks. last time i had them work on my bike it took two weeks to get it back from a tune up.. but Brooks had them give me a free wheel as i needed one. very cool. Most of the time i end up taking my bikes to another local shop to get quick service. read more

The Bicycle Czar has great bikes at very reasonable prices and excellent service . My wife and I went in today looking for road bikes for our ride from SF to LA. Carissa made sure we got the right bikes and gave us very helpful tips on fit and riding. We are two very happy customers! read more

I recently purchased a bike from Brooks, Chad and the folks at Bicycle Czar had a good experience overall. Good folks. It wasn't the deal of the century or anything like that in the grand scheme of the world; you might pay a little more than what the bike is actually worth, but hey, it's the Bay Area. It's all about the market. HOWEVER, they do put a lot of energy into making sure that each bike is tightly tuned. So a chunk of what you're paying for is the labor/time put into making sure the bike is ready out the gate. I appreciate that from that perspective. The labor plus bay-area-inflated-bike-prices would make it about right. Everything (except the tires) was very much on-point with the bicycle that I purchased. I might be a little more picky about good, fresh tires than the average person, so who knows. As a general guide, I'd say don't expect to pay less than about $200 min. on a bike. But again, you're not buying a clunker from a guy with no/little knowledge; you're buying something that you could ride off the lot with. You might be able to talk to them about your specific needs and see if they can build you up something on your particular budget. Overall, it's a cool little shop, they've got a nice little logo/brand identity going, and they seem like nice folks. If I lived closer I'd stop by frequently because bikes are fun. read more