Great neighborhood shop. Friendly service, reasonable repair rates and merchandise prices. Highly recommend!

Rich was great. Fixed and tuned my mountain bike as promised and on time. He also showed me a few tips to keep my bike running smooth between visits. Thanks! read more

Fantastic place, the lady (Donna) who helped us (presumably the owner) is very kind, generous, and lovely. She helped us with two mountain bikes, and we were very grateful. The bikes were superb, however, towards the end of our ride, the wheel came off the bike, luckily I was standing to the side of the bike, to see that the lock mechanism was disengaged, otherwise, this could have potentially been a big issues. Nonetheless, the bikes were brand new and maybe ridden 1-2 times. I highly recommend this place! Thank you! read more

Breaking Away Bicycles - Bike Rentals Near Me - Ross, California

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The bees knees. Breaking Away has been incredibly kind supporting our non profit Good Fairy Marin with bicycles and bike tuning/repairs. We collect bikes but struggle to have the money and expertise to ensure they are safe and fully functioning ready for donation to people who are currently homeless, low income and often single parent families, low income people who need some joy and adventure in their lives. The quality of the works is impeccable, the owner...truly a Good Fairy. Penny, founder www.goodfairy.org read more

This is my go-to bike shop in the area. Rich and team are knowledgeable and friendly. They're trusted advisors for maintenance/ repairs and were able to find and fix an annoying issue with an e-bike I'd bought online. My wife purchased her bike from them and found them great to work with when buying as well. read more

This is one of those neighborhood gems. Donna and Richard give the most experienced, personal service and sales. Ask Donna about anything you want to buy or order. Bring your bike to Richard for all your service. He will do a super job. Highly recommended! read more

This is a hard review to write. Donna, who I think owns the store, is a doll, and has saved me on more than one occasion when something's gone haywire on my bike just as I was passing her shop, which is about a mile from my usual starting point. I think she is terrific, and does good work for a fair price, and I really like supporting women-owned businesses. But today, wow. Or, WHOA. A couple of weeks ago, someone hit my bike with their car (I was not on it at the time, hooray), and bent the rear wheel. The two of us went together from the scene of the accident to Breaking Away. Donna gave the guy a repair estimate, the guy agreed to pay for it, presumably leaves a credit card number, and I left the bike there. Today, I got a message on my machine from Donna that my bike was fixed and I could come get it. She left it in the morning, I got it around 5 PM. So I phoned Breaking Away to see if it was still open. A guy answered the phone, was nice and fun and jokey with me. So I drove over. The same guy I'd just talked to was there talking to a couple of kids. Now I am no shrinking violet, but I do not see why this set of circumstances set him off the way that it did. I walked in said hi, that I was the one who just called to make sure they were still open (as in, fun jokey conversation 10 minutes ago). I said Donna left me a message saying I could pick up my bike. I pointed out which bike it was. I gave my name. I waited while he pulled out paperwork. Then he started to get hot under the collar. He said, you can't take the bike! I said, repeating the obvious, but it's my bike, I'm here to get it. He started yelling at me! He was acting like I was going to steal my own bike! I was confused but completely nonplussed. Surely logic would prevail. I told him again that Donna's message said, "You can come pick up your bike." Donna and the guy who had hit me had their own separate arrangement about paying for my bike and why would she leave me a message telling to pick up my bike if I couldn't, well, PICK UP MY BIKE?? Bike guy is still yelling. Maybe he needs to check on something with the bike hitter? I asked him to see if their paperwork had the name and phone number of the guy who hit me, because I didn't bring it with me, because oh DONNA SAID I COULD COME GET THE BIKE. The guy did not follow this line of logic at all. So I figured, fine, I'll do it. I asked to use the phone. **I** phoned the guy who hit my bike. I handed the phone to bike guy and asked him to please speak to bike-hitter so I can I could leave with my bike. Now. While I am there. While the bike is there two feet away from me. I'll wait. The next thing I know, the phone slams down and bike guy is yelling at me, "You can't take the bike until it's paid for. Don't you DARE give me any attitude, because this white hair on my head means I am the same age as you and I do not have to f*cking talk to you," and more! of the same! SPIT is flying out of his mouth! he is jabbing his finger at me! Yelling like the Great Santini! Are those veins in his neck going to pop? I don't intimidate easily and was just not in the mood for someone else's histrionics. I kept pointing out logical things like -- Donna said "Come get your bike." I think bike hitter paid for it when we were first there, and if he did not, you were JUST ON THE PHONE with him, so couldn't you have gotten his charge card number by phone?! but bike shop guy was incoherent with rage. Good grief! It was pointless to try to continue. He was not listening. I was not going to stand there and continue to be yelled at. The teen-aged boys who were there when I arrived had vanished, and I wondered as I left if they had seen this guy erupt like this before. Who is this guy anyway? Luckily, I had another errand I could run in San Anselmo. I took my chances and went back to Breaking Away about half an hour later. Donna was there, hooray. Yes, of course I could take my bike. Yes, it was paid for. The guy who hit me had driven over during that half hour and paid for my bike with cash, no problem. Ohhh! Now, bike shop guy could have told me bike-hitter had not already/didn'tdidn't want to/couldn't pay by credit card or whatever his reason was for paying cash. I have no idea. Paying for it was between bike-hitter and Donna, had been from the minute we walked into the shop together with the mangled bike. But bike shop guy didn't tell me any of that, he just, dunno, assumed I was trying to steal my own bike?? So I said to Donna, hey, that guy there (pointing to him) was just yelling at me. Like, really yelling. A lot. She said, no, not him, he's a nice guy. He would never do that. "He likes you!" She actually said that. (Yeah, right) And you know what? The guy was acting like he'd never seen me before!! EVER. It was well and truly weird. and a bit creepy I don't know who that guy is, but he isn't doing Donna any service minding the store when she's away. read more

I flew into San Francisco on a Thursday afternoon for a five day tour down the California Coast. When I opened my bike bag to see that Alaska Airlines had all but destroyed my bike. De-railer had been broken and handle bars had been jacked up as well. Dropped my bike off with Rich around 4pm and he promised to get it fixed same day. He kept the shop open an hour after listed closing hours to finish the repair and get my bike in cruising condition for my ride the next morning. One hellofa mechanic and great customer service. read more

Rich, Donna and the crew at Breaking Away Bicycles are hardworking and trustworthy. It is a welcomed experience to get away from the big box shops and deal with real cyclists who will help you in any way possible. They are friendly, kind and knowledgeable. Go check them out! read more

Great shop! has that surf shop vibe, Rich is great! Was on my way out on a ride and like a hopefull dumb ass I put a new chain on old cassette, skipping all over the place I staggered in and Rich hooked me up with a new cassette installed on the spot at a totally fair price, saved my ride and I got to eat a chocolate easter bunny and some salty trail mix while I waited. What more could you ask for!!?? read more

The only shop open this morning, and the service was great! With a road ride planned, a broken spoke almost derailed Sunday morning. $15, and 10 minutes, and these guys got be back in the saddle! Thank you! read more

Pretty extraordinary experience with these folks that I am really saddened and offended by. I've been a patron for a few years and enjoyed stopping in from time to time. I collect vintage french bikes and they have a few. They are convenient and Donna has always been pleasant. I brought my one year old (literally to the month) $900 Mavic Crossmax SL wheelset it for a tune up. The rear seemed a bit out of dish. Rich worked on it for about 7 minutes and suggested that my carbon Giant XTC 1 frame might be bent. Really? Hmmm. That seems odd. Carbon doesn't bend very often. He said that must be it. He tuned the wheel and trued it and said the wheel was in dish, althought it still sat in the drop outs a few milimeters off center. I paid him $40 for the two wheels and left riding my 2 miles home thinking about how the heck I was going to fix my frame. Well, the answer came pretty quickly. As I rode up my driveway I heard a "POP", then all kinds of noise. Interesting. I stopped to inspect the wheel and one spoke had pulled out of the rim and 4 others showed large spider crackes at the rim. Done. Unbelievable. The spokes were obviously overtightened in an attempt to true the wheel. I remember thinking to myself, "Wow, at least I have a good local bike shop who will obviously stand behind their work." I went right back to the shop the next morning. I showed Donna, the owner, and explained the situation. She pointed me back to Rick. He took one look at it and said, "That's a warranty claim." What? How could that be? You tried to dish them, unsuccessfully, overtightened the spokes and they tore out of the rim on the first incline. There was zero trama ever inflicted on this wheel. It didn't have a hop, not out of true by more than a milimeter. It had relaxed out of dish by 3 milimeters (a condition I've learned is common after a year of riding). Incredulous, I went back through this with them. This wasn't a freak occurance--a weak spot in the rim. Five spokes were affected. Rich proceeded to explain that these wheels are always causing problems. These and their road counterparts, the Ksyrium family. He showed me a twisted spoke that he'd successfully extracted from a road rim recently. I didn't get the correlation. We're talking about some of the most popular and highly acclaimed wheels in the market. This is my third set from the family, all of them no over 4 years old with none of these issues. They didn't budge. I contacted Mavic and sent photographs. They said that I would have to send the wheel to them to determine whether it was in warranty, but said it very unlikely "99%" that the wheel would qualify given what they saw in the images and my description. The wheel was damaged due to improper maintenance. They then said it could take up to 8 weeks to get my wheel back. I elected to bring my wheel to Sam at BikeNut in the City, who shook his head at my story looking at the wheel. He rebuilt it for me in a week to the tune of $300. He explained how inexperienced shops should really not work on these wheels. The spokes are aluminum and do not streach like steel. They are also reverse thread, which many mechanics lose track of. It was clear that Rich and Breaking Away are not experienced with this wheel type and, rather than call the entire product family "problematic", they should stop working on them. Then, I might recommend that they stand behind their work and when they make a mistake, face up to it. We are an avid cycling family who will spend the next few decades two miles from their shop. They have lost far more than they saved by not trying to help me solve the problem they caused. read more

I used to work in the bike industry, so I've been in a LOT of shops in my life. The thing that makes Breaking Away great is the people and service. I used to always work on my own bikes, but now I just bring them to Breaking Away for service. They do an amazing job and Rich really knows what he's doing - I just ask him to fix things, and he does and is fair and does a great job - no hassles. read more

I go out of my way to go to this shop. Bought my Jamis road bike there in 2010. Having a woman that owns the shop, Donna, is a big help. Many bike shops I feel are geared just for guys and are intimidating. Donna always give me options and doesn't push any merchandise. Rich, the mechanic, is very knowledgeable and willing to help out in anyway. Keep at it....I know it ain't easy, but, biking is good for the human race! read more

Simply, they have no customer service! I'm so sad to have to write a review like this about any bike shop much less a small independent however with the poor customer service I experienced I can't pass on this. I ride my bike daily as transport and so being without it for days is not acceptable so I called them...no answer...called them...not answer and finally dropped in after my kids soccer game to schedule a tune up. The lady there was quite freindly and understood my need and we set up an appointment for a Friday since we would be away over the weekend and not need the bike. It was supposed to be ready on Sunday. When I dropped the bike off there was a man there, the mechanic I guess, and he made me feel like he was doing me a favor to work on my bike! Rude, short with me and just generally not interested in my work. I called on Sunday to get my bike...no answer...so I waited until this morning and called again...no answer...then the lady answered on the second call and said the bike was up on the rack and had not been worked on! I asked why since we had agreed on the time frame in advance however she said she would have to ask the mechanic and call me back, ugh. She did call back and the bike won't be ready until Tuesday...but I'm not counting on it! So, simply put, stay away unless you like rude 'service', waiting for your bike beyond when its supposed to be done and being frustrated. Its back to Mike's Bikes for me!!! read more

Sadly, I am writing this review. Three years ago I bought a Yuba electric bike from Breaking Away Bikes. Donna allowed me and my adult daughter to try it out and we were pleased. I took it in for servicing after one year and Donna was terrific. Last November, the bike battery died I took it in and spoke with Donna. She was going to check with the company about battery replacement. I left the bike in the shop. I essentially never heard from Breaking Away again. I and my daughter made several phone calls and my daughter went into the shop to check on progress. I did speak with someone once who said they would check on the battery purchase and had no follow-up. Two weeks ago, my daughter went in to check on the status of the bike. She was very rudely dismissed by the mechanic who had Sunday duty at the shop. I did a follow-up call and was very rudely spoken to once again by the mechanic. I was dismissed and told that he didn't care about the situation. Today my son-in-lay and daughter went to pick up the bike after it being in the shop for repair for over six months. There has been no battery replacement, repair and/or no attempt to remedy the situation. The mechanic and another shop owner were in the shop today. My son-in-law asked for the bike and any paper work associated with it. The shop owner speaking with my son-in-law said that there was no paper work. My son-in-law and daughter asked for paper work regarding the original purchase of the bike, particularly as it will be necessary to go elsewhere for repair and we want the original specs on the bike, etc. At that time, there were told that the bike had not been purchased at Breaking Away and no records existed. Something has gone awry in this shop. The mechanic, when I spoke with him on the phone two weeks ago, called his partners "knuckleheads." Apparently communication has deteriorated with completely inappropriate accusations being made. Donna was great to work with but her good intentions could only go so far. Customer service for a serious problem was worse than non-existent. read more

Stay Away...Lois T has it right. I wouldn't support this company if my lfe depened upon it. This past weekend, while parking in a public parking spot, one of the owners of the store wanted to start a fght because I had parkled in front of his store. And, all of this in front of my 6 year old son! Both owners (man/wome) came ourt of their shop at 9:00 am on a Saturday morning to confront me for parking in a public 2 hour spot. There were multiple parking spots open in front of their store, and they had in fact parked in one of them. After rreading Lois T's remarks, it seems like they have anger issues and could use some customer service training. read more

Despite the onslaught of Internet sales and relatively good multiple location bike stores in Marin, Breaking Away hangs in there with solid service, reasonable prices and a good selection of parts and accessories. read more

I recently moved to San Rafael from the city and needed a commuter bike. Donna was so sweet and such a big help along with Rich who altered my bike perfectly for me. They say "once you buy a bike you're part of the shop" and I thought that was the cutest thing ever. I had plenty of options with other bike stores closer to my home in San Rafael but this shop had the BEST customer service by far. Such a pleasure and couldn't be more happier with my decision. read more

Super helpful and friendly!! We stopped in to buy spare tubes before a ride. They are so nice and helpful. When we got our bikes off our car rack, ready to ride, we discovered a major injury had been incurred by one of the bikes. They repaired the bike and fixed some other nagging problems, offered great advice on others. We will definitely be back! read more

I recently had my road bike worked on. It needed a new front derailleur as my old one was just not cutting it anymore... But the truth was that it was just not the right one for my bike as I learned from Richard who I believe owns the shop? I call him the bike whisper as he's super nice and will totally explain to you what is going on with your bike and the "why's" of why it's doing what it's doing.... He's very patient and down right kind. I found the prices and labor are very fair too! I went to one shop 3-4 times with same issue and they totally missed the boat whereas Richard caught it within 2 seconds! It kind of annoyed me that the other guys missed this. Anyway, please check him out or at least drop by and see for yourself and tell him Scott sent ya. read more

I recently brought in two bikes to Breaking Away for tune ups and minor repairs - Cannondale MTB and Specialized road bike. I have had my bikes serviced at several bike stores in Marin, and have to say, my experience at Breaking Away was the best. Donna was very attentive and detailed with respect to some of the repair issues they uncovered. My bikes were returned on time, with fair and reasonable charges for the work that was done. And they bikes were incredibly clean, almost embarrassing to see how great a job they did in comparison to my efforts at home. I took my roadbike out this weekend and it felt (and looked) like new. This was my first experience at Breaking Away - I realize there are some +/- yelps - all that I can say is that my experience was excellent, workmanship was great, and the bikes looked fantastic. Dave read more

I went out of my way to visit this bike shop as it came highly respected from a good friend of mine...who really know bikes. They carry very good high end bikes, plus others, and can order many other brands they may not have in the shop. Both Donna (the owner) and the other workers there are very knowledgeable, without being high pressure. It took me quite awhile to decide on a bike and after doing alot of research online too, I decided to buy my Blue from Breaking Away. I am so glad I did! It is the best bike and the best service I have ever had. If something goes wrong, or it just needs a tune-up, I take it back there. There is never any question or attitude, but always good service and a friendly smile. Needless to say, it is the only bike shop I go to now. I have purchased my shoes, bike clothing, pump (Lezyne which I highly recommend too), and even my 9 year old son's bike. read more

Their customer service could not be any better. I am so pleased that I found a bike store that is happy to help. Their price to fix my rear quick release was very reasonable. read more

Breaking Away Bicycles in the small Marin town of Ross is a typical neighborhood cycle shop. The staff is friendly, knowledgable, professional and you can feel they made their passion their business. The shop has a laid-back, serene atmosphere with even a kid-friendly dog waiting to be petted. Situated along one of the busiest bike routes through Marin, Breaking Away Bicycles offers everything any level biker might need, from bike sales and repairs to a free tire pressure adjustment or just a chat. read more

I brought in both of my bikes, one for a general checkup and the other for more complex suspension work. My bike done for general work was done very well and very professionally, they even cleaned the bike which was a very nice touch. The other bike needed a part to be sent to the manufacturer for repairs and the owner/ store clerk kept me informed during the whole process. Very nice, very professional and by far the best prices in Marin that I have seen. I am sponsored by a shop in SF and discount included it is still more expensive so its a great place for great repairs and at a great price. Highly recommended. read more

Great overhaul of my 29er. Did a fine job.

Whoa! After opening this site, I can see I made a HUGE mistake in choosing to use Breaking Away Bicycles to pack my husband's custom bicycle to be shipped overseas. We used to live in Ross several years ago and were professionals in the bike industry ourselves, so I expected nothing but top-end service seeing as how they've survived being in Ross for as long as they have. Unfortunately I was unable to bring the bike in myself, but had a family member do it. We have a large hard-shell bike box with a fork mount and fixed foam block for resting the bottom bracket (both of which were not even used when they packed the bike!). We were shocked when the bike arrived in Australia and we opened it. No padding had been used, everything was loose and the frame was scratched. How could they be so careless! This is a custom Otis Guy bicycle - for those of you Marin bike junkies!!! I am absolutely appalled at their lack of respect and therefore feel they definitely deserve the "0" star rating that I am giving them. read more