I needed help with a rusty chain that I had tangled attempting to get off. Francisco helped me reset it, oiled it checked the gears which were ok, though not perfect. He knew I wasn't planning to ride it much, and he told me it was good enough to leave alone, and that the chain was fine with just some lube. He spent 15 minutes helping me, but wouldn't charge me for the help. Such a nice and competent guy, no upsell despite the upscale look of the store. What a nice surprise. Highly recommended! read more

Went in for a bike fitting. Torr was great and spent a lot of time making sure everything was just right. For how much time he spent it was well worth it. I thought I had it dialed in but Torr made a lot of adjustments. He adjusted things I didn't even know could be adjusted. Great service. Thanks read more

I purchased a fat bike for my 9 year old son and the customer service in the sales department before and after the sale have been top notch. As for the service department, Jeff and the crew have gone above and beyond to help me with many of my bike builds including the latest project of upgrading all the components on my sons bike. I've included a few pictures of the bikes they have worked on for me. Thank you everyone! read more

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When my kid's bike was due for a repair/ adjustment, I wheeled its frame nearly three miles from my home in Burlingame to Cognition Cyclery in San Mateo. Initially, I wanted to borrow their metric keys and do the tweaks myself, but after seeing how friendly, kind and knowledgeable the folks were here, I decided to hand over the bike to them. They not only fixed the alignment of my kid's bike training wheels, but also noticed that the bike's chain was loose and fine-tuned it as well. During the entire time, the staff was so jovial and engaging with my 6-yo that, that he didn't want to leave. I'm a huge fan of this shop, and with no hesitation I'd recommend it to anyone needing a new bike, adjustment or repair. read more

Brought my downhill bike in to get the breaks bleed. Nexts day go back pick it up. One of the mechanics was like your bike is not safe blah blah then he wouldn't fix my cassette was all lose! He's like oh I have to charge you for that and order a new one! He's like I can tell you don't have much riding experience! If you get on that bike go for a ride you will break your neck! He wanted to charge me more so he can fix everything up oh cause it wasn't safe! And tells me the my bike is to big for me! I'm like okay! Idk who he is! But he was very rude to me! And you shouldn't be talking about someone getting hurt! That's gnarly to say that! Everyone has there different styles on a mountain bike! read more

I've generally had good experiences here, so I was disappointed to be curtly sent away when I was (unknowingly) a couple of hours late to drop my bike off for a tuneup after waiting a month for an appointment. I'm pretty sure the strict 11am dropoff time wasn't communicated to me when I called for the appointment, and I didn't receive any sort of confirmation email saying as much. I got there at 1:15 and was told my appointment had been cancelled, but I'd be welcome to make a reservation for the next available slot - in OCTOBER. I won't rule out that I could have missed something, but either way that policy wasn't communicated well and a little flexibility would have been nice after waiting a month. read more

I will start with saying that my purchasing experience was very positive especially at the time when I was purchasing the bike(s) during the pandemic and inventory was low. I purchased two Specialized Electric Vado Bicycles from Cognition Cyclery in August of 2021. I have been very pleased with my purchase but you know the old saying "tail light warranty" That is exactly what I got. These electric bikes cost approx $4000 each and after 500 miles of riding my bike my chain snapped. I brought it back to the Cognition and told them what happened and he said "it happens". He then tells me "have you been lubricating the chain? You should do that every other ride" REALLY!!! If that was the case maybe that should have been communicated to me when I gave them $8000. I said there is no warranty on this bike at all? He just shrugged his shoulders. Then I ask about putting a master link in the chain and he said no you don't want to do that but this new chain has a master link....I walked out. I cannot believe that Specialized does not stand behind their product for at least a year. Cognition has a long way to go on improving their customer service as well as instructing customers for care of their bicycles especially if it recommended to lubricate the chain every other ride. I have a Specialized Rock Hopper from the 1980's and I can't even tell you the last time I lubricated that chain and that bicycle still rides great. I'm very disappointed in Cognition and Specialized. I will definitely consider another brand of electric bicycle next time as there are many other brands at a fraction of the cost of Specialized. read more

**This review is specifically about service, but their bike selection looked nice** I rolled in (more like limped in) on a rainy Friday with a flat rear tire on my commuter bike. I had repeated issues with that same tire blowing out (my commute goes through some areas where the roads are not in the best shape/ covered with construction and other debris). I've done a bunch of stuff to help with that, thicker tires, tube protection etc. So I walk in with the flat. I explain the issue and then the entire service dept starts a discussion about the best way to protect my tire. Thicker tubes? Better tires? Everyone discusses. Then an action plan is decided upon and they install some thicker tires and a new tube on the bike. In between, whether there should be a Sake warmer in the breakroom and theories on brake pads were debated and resolved. 30 minutes later my bike is fixed and ready to roll with the new tires and a fresh tube. Amazing. In at 5:40 out at 6:10. Other places where I've had the same work done it takes between all day and a week. These guys won me over. Three thumbs up. All good things. read more

Went here during Covid to buy very standard Shimano mineral oil for my brakes. Not only do they not sell it, I was told "It's only for shop use, and no, I can't fill the tiny empty bottle of yours for you either." From one supposed cyclist to another... a very odd response. It's not like I want this for kicks. I need to bleed some brakes. Who doesn't? Surprise youngsters, not everyone has their bike worked on by some boutique shop. I've been building and maintaining my own pro level bikes for literally 40 years. This is Not a shop for the skilled at-home mechanic to get supplies. And this is also why I know to buy on the internet in advance. read more

The store has a very cool aesthetic and lots of biking gear/equipment. I'm giving it 5 stars primarily due to the great service I received from Torr. I signed up for a foot fitting because my toes were going numb on longer rides. Torr was very generous with his time and did a great job explaining the likely problem and possible solutions (and answered various other random biking questions I had to improve my experience). Even though I was ready to throw money at the problem Torr convinced to me first try more economical solutions. We are still working through the issue but I'm confident that I'm in good hands. read more

Very clean shop, professional and well equipped. I went in asking for advice on cleaning my road bike and they gave me a quick but affective crash course lesson on cleaning. read more

I just picked up my bike with new tires, tubes, and brake pads and Cognition Cyclery did a great job and the process was so easy and fast. I dropped the bike off at around 11am and it was ready for me by 3:30pm. I got a text when it was all done. Very friendly and supportive staff too that also walked me through all the work they would do and the costs. Thank you! read more

Saw Torr for a bike fitting and I couldn't be happier. He clearly knows his stuff and has a bunch of high-tech tools at his disposal. One thing that stood out was his commitment to getting the right fit and the patience that takes. Torr ended up spending way more than the allotted time, which gave me confidence I was getting the right fit. I think a lot of other shops/fitters might have tried to "work around" some of the challenges I had rather than taking the time to do it right. Lastly one of the reasons I chose Cognition is they seem to be one of the larger outfitters and as such have the parts you need to leave with your bike right - total one stop shop. Honestly, couldn't be more satisfied with my experience - I'll be back for more... read more

Overall great spot, good equipment. Store assistant was unfortunately too eager to upsell me on equipment that I didn't really need. Must be commission heavy! Still great spot to go to despite the heavy salesmanship. read more

This bike shop was amazing!! Paul and Meryl were so helpful and knowledgeable in helping me pick out a bike with lots of accessories. Thank you for making my first bike purchase a wonderful experience!! read more

Staff was very nice and prices were decent in comparison to another shop nearby. Most bikes are out of stock though so be aware!

I called before making the drive to San Mateo from San Francisco and was told on the phone that they had plenty of selection of road bikes for smaller riders so I made the drive down. When I got there with my son, there were no road bikes built for smaller riders and I was shown kid's 24" wheel bikes which was entirely not the point. I can understand why they would not stock 650C wheel bikes or XS frames as there is probably not much demand for them. but I don't understand why they would so cavalierly tell me something on the phone without verification that it's true. read more

Was in need for a new pair of road shoes so looked up some places that were open at the time and with the reviews and then being open at the time I was searching I decided to check them out. The location of this place is great due to it being in what I would consider downtown San Mateo. I love this area Lots of food places, shopping and other things that fit your needs. I was helped by a guy named Derek, or Derrick, no name tags, he introduced himself and just in case he reads this I hope to get the spelling right haha, but he was super helpful. And with a customer service, offered help with anything else and pointed out some added things I may of needed while there. Oh yea before I forget, I came the next day to purchase pedals, totally forgot about it. Brought my bike and purchased the pedals and the guy, forgot his name, slapped them on for me real quick no charge. In and out fast. Definitely go here for your bike needs. They have everything read more

Recommended to everyone! I bought my bike here a year ago and have been coming to the shop for all my bike needs since: components, tune up, installations, etc. Here's a list of only a few things that these guys excelled at: - helping me trade in my old bike; - advising on the best new bike for my needs; - making sure I get the best deal and the bike arrives as fast as possible; - helping me as I looked for best cycling shoes; - maintaining my bike in perfect shape. The mechanics in this shop deserve a special mention. They are all superstars! My mechanic is Nate, and he always makes sure I understand exactly what's happening to my bike, what's needed to improve its performance and anything in between. Can't say enough how much that matters. But whoever you get to work with - rest assured - these guys are stellar. You don't need to go ANYWHERE else, but Cognition. Never had an issue these guys could not solve. Quality work, quality folk! read more

Cognition is a fantastic full service bike shop that I highly recommend. And of course if you are a fan of Specialized bikes or want to check them out they are a premier shop with what appears to be direct access to the manufacturers. Special shout out to Edgar and the rest of the service department team that always is able to service my bike quickly and take care of any warranty items (I had an issue with Shimano disc brakes that they very quickly took care of). Makes me glad to live in a city near a great bike shop like this. read more

The team at Cognition is awesome! They took me in a few minutes before closing on a Sunday and quickly fixed my flat tire. All with a smile. They clearly know what they're doing and the inventory is impressive. A+ all the way and highly recommended read more

Man, with all that is going around bike shops have been getting swamped with work. That make me happy that they are staying busy and bringing their employees back. Alex, this dude was awesome. He listened to my needs, gave his professional opinion and advised me on what parts to get for a new frame I just got. Highly recommend Alex as your service guy. Outstanding customer service read more

Had my bike adjusted by Torr and he's amazing. He is the bike magician! I can't say enough about his talent of adjusting bikes. I now enjoy riding my bike even more and have become a better rider as he's meticulous at fitting your bike to your entire body. I just wish I had known about him years ago! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! read more

Outstanding sales and service. Got my first mtb from here and regularly visit for parts/service/upgrade needs. Very helpful and knowledgeable staff. Prompt turnaround time. 5 stars. read more

got me set up with new pedals and new cycling shoes today even installed the pedals for me! I can tell that customer service come first for them in they way that they do buisness would recommend this place to anyone! read more

The quality control of this shop in the delivery of my $9,000 Specialized Creo SL Evo earlier this evening was poor and irresponsible to say the least. Yesterday I drove to Cognition Cyclery from the far east bay to look at this bicycle as it is new and in high demand. This shop being one of the only shops in Northern California with availability. Pleased with my initial experience I put a deposit on the bike to hold it while wait for the funds to be available the next a day. I arrived at the shop to pay for and pick up the bike tonight. Everything was going smooth until the person handling my transaction said, "ok, here's the box with the instructions and charger." He didn't even open the box to check anything. It's a $9,000 bike with high tech state of the art components. So while he walked away to get some accessories I purchased i opened the box and GUESS WHAT? There was no charger for the Di2 shifter. I was given a charger from the shop after some fussing around but honestly the nice kid handling the transaction didn't even know what he was looking for. No big deal until the mechanic that installed my pedals said, " umm...there's one thing....the shifters have no charge. " "i can't get the shifter to pair." So, which is it? They are not chargedor they are not working properly? I was advised to take the $9,000 bike home and trouble shoot it. If no luck just bring it back? Cognition Cyclery delivered a product to me that was not ready to ride. As a consumer i feel that is poor customer service. The bikes shifters should have been charged in advance of pick up. This is not my first purchase of a high end bike, however it was my first purchase from this shop and the experience at time of pick-up left a bad taste in my mouth. Hopefully the bike works fine once I charge the shifters. Either way Cognition Cyclery has lost my future business forever. I will not be returning to this shop for service or future purchases. Moving forward I will be informing Specialized of my experience as well. read more

The store is pretty sweet. They sell pretty nice bikes of all ranges and accessories as well. Store is quite big. Nice to look around. However, customer service needs improvements. I bought a brand new bike from here and there was no explanation of any guarantee or service packages. Any help feels rushed and impassionate. I have been to mike's bikes and the customer service there is amazing even when you are not buying anything. Overall, I wished I could have gotten a much better customer service from the store since I really like the store. read more

I had Cognition install a new cassette and crankset on my road bike. The service manager Edgar was super helpful and fair with the price on the parts and labor to do what I wanted to have done. I've come in multiple times and have to say the staff is always very knowledgeable and friendly. Whether you're a newbie to cycling or have been riding for many years, I highly recommend Cognition. read more

I had been having trouble with my bike saddle height for a few months now. I was not expecting to be able to get it fixed anytime soon given the shelter in place. But thanks to this place which was open and has very good and efficient staff, I was able to get this fixed. Kudos to Paul in particular for also telling to how I can take care of this myself in the future :) read more

Every time I've called or visited these guys, they have been great. Excellent service, friendly staff, and great attention to detail. Torr went above and beyond during our Bike Fitting session and the Service Department has been more than accommodating in helping with quick repairs/adjustments during this hectic time. Highly recommend. read more

The best. They are friendly, they adjusted my bearings no charge. I had gone to PA cyclery & bough a wheel assembly but it got loose. They adjusted it no charge. It's still working. I will be back fir sure. Olivier Salles. Thank you. read more

Great place. Their COVID protocols are on point and they set with up with a fantastic bike that fits very well.

I was developing some knee and hip pain on my X5 and I thought I could make the adjustments myself. Well, I'm so glad I booked an appointment with Torr because we ended up changing my saddle and stem. I also had some Roval Carbon Wheels installed, Edgar and the fellas in the service department were great and very helpful! Definitely very lucky to have such a great bike shop local to me! read more

Great bike shop. they have a lot of high end electric bicycles. I came here to use the shop expertise and was very happy happy with Jeff Anderson's service. He seems to be very knowledgeable and is friendly and willing to lend a hand. He helped me twice. The first time, he had to "engineer" a way to get a twist shifter on my handlebar. It worked out great. The second time, I came in with my old helmet so I could switch the plastic clasps with a magnetic Fidlock clasp for easy one handed donning of my helmet. He did it in less than 10 minutes while I waited. It works great. I'm a big proponent of supporting the local bike shops and this is a good one. I will no longer go to Performance because they just don't have the skilled labor at those chain stores. I hope to see Cognition Cyclery do well and stay in the 'hood. Thanks Jeff!! read more

I stopped in to have Jeff take a look at my nieces Trek mini mountain bike. He checked the tires for air pressure, repaired a brake cable, and generally checked everything over. I asked him how much for the quick tune up and repair, he said that he wasn't going charge me, and wished me happy holidays! Jeff Anderson is a great guy with big heart. I will definitely recommend him, and be back to see him soon with my other bike. Awesome shop by the way! read more

These guys saved my day. I went somewhere elts (another local bike shop down the road that I won't mention the name of) that could/would not do the job (a tough flat tire) and told me to take it to these guys. They figured it out gave my self and my lady friend beers and got us back on the trail. I really like their sister store in Mountain View as well. Ask for Brad or Edger if you go there read more

Cycle Sport - Bike Repair/Maintenance Near Me - San Mateo, California

The guys at Cognition are super helpful. I've had my fork serviced here and it was done within a week. Also they stock random servicing bits that I might need such as the fork O-rings for when I service my own Fox36. Definitely recommend getting your bike looked at here if you're having any issues with it. Also ask for Carter. Super easy to work with. read more

Edgar at Cognition in San Mateo (previously he was at their Mountain View location) really helped me out recently with a warranty issue. I had a Sequoia frame break and they weren't being made anymore. I was ready to just write off the frame and order something else, but Edgar went to bat for me with Specialized and got them to send me a brand new Allez Sprint -- and not just a frame but a complete bike! Meanwhile, I also ordered a Niner RLT 9 Steel frame to replace my Sequoia frame, with the idea being that the new Allez Sprint from Specialized could be used to offset the cost of the Niner frame, and I could either just sell it or keep it and have two new bikes for the cost of one. So it was a complex deal, but considering my Sequoia was out of production and the general bike shortage due to COVID-19, I really appreciate Edgar putting all of these pieces together for me. Apparently the Niner was literally the last one from this production run, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Allez Sprint was similar. Apart from this latest story, Cognition has been pretty consistent for me in having parts in stock, like tires, bearings, chains, parts for my shoes (!), brake stuff, etc. Their online ordering and same day or next day in person pickup for parts during COVID-19 has been clutch for me on a couple of occasions already. read more

I don't typically write reviews but I felt the need for this establishment. I went here because I'm shopping around for my child's first bike. So both me and my child were excited. The shop is very nice. Not much selection for kids but that's not a big deal. I came in and no one even tried to help me out just pointed me towards kids section. Ok. That's fine. The whole time we were there almost an hour - nobody even tried to offer assistance. We were probably the only customers there. But still not a big deal. I was ready to purchase a bike and I was being still totally friendly but this guy who has a dog - I don't know, it felt like he didn't want to do anything with us. He didn't even show any willingness to sell a bike! I ended up not getting one and going to Mike's Bike even it was another 25-minute drive away. Omg what a difference great customer service makes!! read more

I had bought my bike from their Mtn. View location and the staff seemed really helpful and knowledgeable. This being my first good road bike and using it for workouts rather than just commuting, I had made a couple of attempts to get a bike fit done at other places, but was not able to get over some issues I was having with the main one being my toes going numb. I was hesitant to book a comprehensive bike fit with cost being a factor and other being reviews from other places about shops trying to use it as a way to sell more equipment. I gave it a try and booked a fit at this location considering the sensors and the data provided might help especially if the technician was good. It was lucky that Torr (as I learnt later) had appointments available the day I was off from work. He was really knowledgeable and could translate my trying to explain how I felt while riding into suggesting and trying out changes which really helped. He was really patient with my novice questions and trying out different fits and types for saddles, bars and cleat positions. He based his suggestions based on what kind of riding I was doing and what my goals were. He never tried to sell me expensive replacements and on the contrary helped get credits for any equipment I would need to get a different size in the same type. What really impressed me was the follow up and care Torr took for my next appointment. I wanted to get a wider handlebars and a helmet which matched my bike color and was not easily available. He kept me updated on dates and when the handlebar got delayed due to shipment. He had planned well and booked an appointment to get the bars replaced as quickly as possible after the handlebars came in as the mechanics were booked for a week. The result of the fit was amazing to say the least, I was able to ride way longer and faster easily. The numbness of my toes had got reduced to just tingling, so Torr suggested I come in and try wider shoes with different inserts. This appointment was just as good if not better with him having quick insightful suggestions to get the fit right. I have had only a couple of rides after that but have not issues with my toes at all. On both occasions I felt he went above and beyond than what I had gotten at any other store or came to expect in terms of time, advice and equipment. Rather than trying to sell me expensive replacements or equipment he was always very practical and in fact helped me not give in to my impulse buying decisions and only what I needed. I am really happy that brick and mortar stores can still distinguish themselves on the basis of exceptional customer service. Other than gaining a loyal customer, I cannot recommend this store and Torr enough for all bike related needs. read more