Great service! Nice, generous and knowledgeable. Always support He fixed my bike at reasonable prices with hustle read more

I don't write reviews but my experience with Karim was so memorable and unique that I want to share how thoughtful, generous and thorough he is in his service. In fact, I am glad I was inconvenienced with a flat tire today so I was able to meet this bike doctor! He provided me the bike education I needed and other hygienic tweaking for my Peugeot gratis. What a sweetheart! I truly felt tended to as a human being. He is intuitive and attentive, saying that even a quarter of an inch of my bike seat getting lifted would make a slight difference. He also asked me to ride around to notice my leg alignment (I brushed up on all the high school anatomy I'd forgotten). He had all the esoteric parts needed to tweak my bike since my model isn't standard. Karim deeply cares about maintaining the "integrity" of the bike. As someone who also makes/repairs items and cares about quality, I trust Karim. He is a GOOD person. Karim really stands out from all the bike servicing I've received in the past. I really enjoyed this experience and am glad I found my community bike doctor. I will definitely have more reasons to stop by. read more

A couple days ago I bought a kid's bike at Karim's for a neighbor. $30 is a good price. Karim has been friendly when I go there. Also he had a hard-to-find part I needed for a bike lock. Regarding the reputation for stolen bikes: I was happy to read (about 20 years ago) a local newspaper article about the outcome of the police raid at Karim's. The cops ran serial numbers to Sacramento. Out of 700 bikes, only one was a stolen bike. That seems good for a store selling used bikes. The main bike I ride is from Karim's. I'm grateful. read more

This has been our go-to bike shop for service and repairs for years. Three key words come to mind when talking about this humble place: expertise, budget-friendly, and connections. The bike mechanic can identify what's wrong with your bike before you have to describe it, so you can trust him to deal with the issue(s) effectively. If he's occupied with another task on hand, he will refer you to other places that can handle it well based on your particular needs. It means he knows the ins and outs of the business. Most importantly, he always offers cheaper parts and lower costs of service without compromising the quality of the solutions. People come to him in a budget conscious mindset but with relatively high expectations at the same time. And for the most part, they get what they wished for. And that's why we keep coming back here. Without a conventional storefront, the mechanic does what people expect him to do and does it well. The majority of his customers probably don't comment online on their positive experiences with Karim, but the number of repeat customers says it all. read more

My wife has been looking for a bicycle that fits her properly for the past two years. The bike she had prior fit her perfectly and she had ridden it happily for over 30 years. After numerous attempts to find a bicycle that would fit her in shops all over the bay area without luck., in desperation we stoped by Karim's. Our experience was extremely positive, he is incredibly knowledgeable. He listened to her regarding size bicycle she needed and why, as well as specifics related to handlebars frame material etc. he explored his inventory and within minutes found her a bicycle and old Raleigh steel frame that fit the bill! In minutes he had changed out the tubes and added a rack. While my wife spoke with him, she realized to her surprise he was the same gentleman that sold her original bike to her 30 years ago at a different location! Well the inside of his shop is is so full of bicycles and parts you cannot enter this man knows his bicycles and in our experience, he was honest, helpful and pleasant. After the years of searching she has finally found a bicycle she is comfortable on to replace her original that she so loved. Thanks Karim! read more

With the shelter in place in full effect, I have been searching for activities for my 7 year old twins to do. I decided to take them bike riding. But of course their bike had been sitting on the side of the house for years, in no shape to take for a ride. I remember Karim Cycle in Berkeley and decided to see if they were open so i could get a tune up. Fortunately, they were. karim jumped right on it. He got the tires and brakes working like new. He even adjusted the seat. I was also able to buy a second used bike at a great price for the other twin. I got great service. Best of all, they're open. read more

The Short: Karim Cycle is great for cyclists who appreciate antique/ vintage bikes or and are looking for a specific model, year, or original part. It should be viewed through that lens. The Owner is super knowledgeable and fair. Be open and kind and he will be in return! The Long of it: I just wanted to take a moment to say that Karim Cycle is the perfect place to go looking for an affordable used bike in the Berkeley Area. The owner is extremely knowledgable about bikes and you can tell that fixing up bikes is a passion project for him. The store itself is filled to the brim with bike frames and bike parts... its not sketchy like other people would say, just (dis)organized in his own way. On my first visit I was looking for a bike lock and he gave me a really great brand lock that was used for only $40 dollars. Thats $30 dollars cheaper than buying the same lock new! On my second visit I needed help with a flat tire. While he replaced the tube we had a really great conversation about our love for thrifting, and he told me about his favorite vintage bikes :) He gave me super low price AND adjusted my breaks because he noticed they were uneven. I went in feeling bummed about my flat and left uplifted by great conversation and happy to know I have such a reliable spot just down the street from where I work. Karim Cycle is a gem. If you are someone who really appreciates antique/vintage bikes, this is your spot to find specific parts or ask mechanical questions! read more

Karim is interested in one thing, your money. No, no,no... None of this customer service nonsense or local business mentality. He has some valuable bikes and parts (amidst his disorganized heaps of trash and treasure), and you come there to plead a bargain. I feel as if his strategy of a disorganized, closed off space allows him to tailor his selection and prices to the customer presented. Is he rude? Yes. Is it impossible to navigate his stock? Yes. Are there some good deals to be had? Yes. Bought a decent bike there, but not without it coming out originally half assembled. I had to plead and bargain with him to add a seat, pedals, brake pads.... Turned into something good, but not without the equivalent of a triple root canal in displeasure. I needed transportation ASAP, and fate really made me work for it. Take your money elsewhere. read more

I had the priceless experience when I spent twice on repairs that where done on my front wheel replacement for $40 and a new set of new back wheel gears, and fixing front gears for another $40 on another occasion. Excellent for my pocket book. I have been treated with respect and professionalism by Karim the owner of the Bike Shop at every occasion. I highly recommend the bikes he sells as well as his fixing bikes services which are superb. Karim is a professional bike mechanic that will fix your bike issues and more. read more

Karim was very helpful in selling my kids 2 used bikes. During the SIP bike craze we couldn't find a new bike anywhere and decided to look for used bikes and found Karim on Craigslist. Karim spent 1.5 hours looking for bikes which fit my 9 yo daughter and 12 yo son, at the expense of losing business to multiple parties who came and went, without him acknowledgable them. In that regard, I can understand people's frustration at his customer service but he provided GREAT customer service to us. He took time to fix the few items needed to get the bikes ready for my kids and was patient, knowledgeable, and overall good dude. We will be back to upgrade my son to a nicer bike when he outgrows this one. read more

karim appears to be closed, hopefully hes ok. Hasn't been there in a long time and we had a bike to get back in repair

Karim Cycle is the place to go for old-school bikes that may not have been top-of-the-line in their day, but did their job well and are no longer being made. Looking for a 10-speed mixte? You might find one here. This is not the place to find a cheap new bike or a modern machine. Karim knows what he's doing. He does business on expensive land in Berkeley, so you won't get a screaming bargain. The best you can hope for here is the perfect bike for you. Enjoy your find. read more

Karim is a hero of the people. He's single-handedly buying/selling/repairing bikes for the community on the sidewalk outside his shop right now. Every other shop in town has 3-4 week wait times for repairs. He's kind, he's patient, and he's hella affordable. read more

Karim Cyclery on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley sells lots of stolen bikes. Not only that, but they don't even sell them at good prices, nor do they bother removing license stickers or filing off the serial numbers. My bike was stolen one Christmas Eve from a locked storage closet in my apartment building not too far away, and by February it had been picked up by Karim and sold off to a clueless undergrad for $180. I had spent $250 on it new, 4 years prior, without the dents, wobbly wheels, and fractured axle that it had when it disappeared. How do I know? By complete chance, walking to a meeting at UC Berkeley, I came across the bike -- my bike, telltale dents, California license sticker, and all -- locked outside the building and I was floored. I still had the registration papers and serial number in my wallet, and sure enough, it was a match. Even more incredibly, the poor undergrad who bought it arrived on the scene as I was about to call the police about it. Dude had bought it from Karim Cyclery and could prove it. Since I could prove original ownership of the bike, I could have simply taken it from the undergrad and left him empty-handed. But, I felt bad for him and pissed off at Karim, so later that week I accompanied him to confront Karim. In the 30 minutes I spent at his shop, I saw more sketchiness than in my entire previous 2 years in Berkeley, and it even rivalled some things I saw in my years in Baltimore. Among other things, a surly thug (apparently a contracted thief) came up to Karim, and aggressively demanded the whereabouts of his "fucking money." Upon Karim's brushoff, a minor scuffle ensued during which the thug repeatedly threatened Karim's life. Then, abruptly, he left. By this time, I figured out this was no ordinary bike shop. :) I can confirm that Karim does not let anybody even peek inside the shop, either. Long story short, the police sergeant handling my case happened to call me while we were there and awesomely decided it was a good time to deliver some paperwork to me in person. Karim hastily became more amenable upon his arrival, even had his henchman fix the broken axle, and gave the poor undergrad a different obviously stolen bike. (The sergeant called in the serial number to check, but the bike had stickers indicating it was from Colorado, and with no national database..... BTW, five stars for this sergeant... I happened to meet him again after another odd Berkeley incident, and he was again fantastically helpful and seemed genuinely interested in making things right. Take that, haters, there are good and good-hearted police officers out there.) How is this place still in business, then? It survives and thrives merely by preying on the fresh crop of innocent students who arrive at Berkeley every fall. But, hey, maybe this is a five-star place if you're looking to unload your stolen loot so you can afford a 40 and some crack. What a shady damn operation. read more

Today was one of those days when I just wanted to hop on a bike - preferably one with tassles and a basket - ride myself on over to the Mission, grab an ice cream from Bi-Rite Creamery and lay on the grass in Dolores Park like the bum that I am on sunny days. Problem? I did not have the aforementioned bike. That's where Karim's came in! I'd seen some pretty sweet bikes of his on Craigslist, and they all seemed to be marked lower than anything else out there. We hopped over to Berkeley to check the place out, and it was pretty interesting the way he had maybe 20-30 bikes all lined up like a garage sale on the sidewalk, and then a heap of hundreds of bikes inside the shop. Well, I saw my bike right away. It was a pale lavendar Motobecane from France, with Schwinn handle bars -- just perfect for attaching a basket. He priced it at $175 and we asked if we could buy it for $150. He said yes. I have a bike! After a tune up it will be (almost) like brand new. He wasn't the most friendly guy, but he certainly wasn't unfriendly. We just took what we wanted and left with no haggling beyond the price, since everything there is probably sold as is. Love my new bike! read more

Dear God, how I wish I had blown a flat near any other bike shop, but alas, mere feet from Berkeley Bowl and with a backpack full of groceries, I hit something and my rear wheel started to wobble and hiss until all the air came out of it. My inner tube was completely destroyed; there was a huge hole in it. My ride was un-rideable, and I needed to get it fixed or get home fast, lest my groceries spoil. I asked nearby shoppers where the closest place to get my flat fixed was. They directed me to Karim's Cycles. The dude charged me $10 for a new innertube. That's right kids, freaking $10--even after I coughed and gaped at him in disbelief. I made it clear that I didn't just start biking yesterday, and he made it clear that I wasn't going to ride home unless I paid $10 for the tube. If my bike weren't so fun to ride, I'd be livid about it. But I had a pleasant ride home, with minimal thanks to Karim. Do yourself a favor, stay away! Then, tell everyone to know to avoid this place. read more

Adlai Karim actually performs an unappreciated public service. Somebody has to repair and move those piles of bikes left on racks for months and left in police property rooms without a claim. It's a nasty job, and Adlai Karim has a nasty streak to match. But when the Berkeley Police raided they identified 3 out of 1000 bikes as stolen. That's pretty low, indicating that Karim is not a major fence. Are some of them hot? No doubt. But short of shipping the bikes to Gahna (see Villiage Bicycle Project) what are you going to do? Track down the owners? How? That said the shop is a mess, consisting of a giant pile of rusty bikes in a giant steaming heap. A real bike shop would line each bike up, check the serial number against a theft database, fix the bike, put a fixed price on it, and move it out. Karim is not nearly so organized. At Karim nothing is really fixed, especially the price. Expect to pay whatever Karim thinks he can get out of you. read more

Holy crap. Do NOT go here. That is my review summary. The longer version: this guy is a complete loon. Karim Cycle is basically a store venue with a buttload of bikes inside, sold as if at a yard sale. He makes up the price when he looks at you. I had walked by this store when it was closed, and saw the huge piles of bikes inside. Knowing that during the day there were many bikes displayed on the street, I thought that this must be the reason for so many bikes crowded inside. I was a little naive. I heard they might have used inline skate wheels for sale, so I stopped by today. I picked my way past the bikes on display on the street, narrowly avoiding what looked to be a handyman fixing the sign on the door. Turning the corner, I was faced with a teetering wall of bikes- there was no way to walk into the store. I realized that this scraggly man was actually the proprietor. I asked for skate wheels, used if possible, and he asked me "how much are you looking to spend?" This should have been a warning sign indicating a sort of socialist pricing model ("hey you have money... I have need!") rather than one based on actual value of the product. I told him my total budget was under $40 for wheels and bearings, since that is the approximate cost of new hockey wheels with bearings. He started climbing over the wall of bikes. Since the venue is the size of a parking lot, or a drugstore perhaps, this took a while... He returned with some seriously beat-up skates with wheels I estimated to be worth $5 at most. Like an idiot I somehow let him convince me to pay him $20 for the complete skates, even though I have no need of skates that can't fit me, because at the time I just wanted to get out of there with my wheels. Good grief. read more

Karim's was the only place I was able to find a used bike in my size (especially with shelter in place making everything more difficult), he was super responsive to my emails, and I feel that I got the bike for a good price. He made some upgrades for me, which took longer than expected and caused him to have to stay about an hour after he normally closes. He didn't charge me for the upgrades and was really nice about the extra time it took. He also knew I was going for a ride the next day so he told me if there were any problems to come back and he would take care of them. I would definitely recommend coming here- the bad reviews seem to be from people who have never actually done business with Karim. read more

If you browse the east bay Craigslist for bikes and come across a vaguely-described used bike in the "Near UC Berkeley" area that seems like a good deal, check to see if the listed address is for this place. It probably is. And you probably don't want to buy that bike because--as so many other reviewers have already pointed out--there's a chance that bike's stolen. But, hey. It's a good deal, you're on a tight budget, and it's a pretty cool bike. It might not even be stolen. Worth the risk? That's up to you. But either way, the guy who runs it is a complete tool. There are a ton of other bike shops in the east bay--ones that aren't run by complete tools--who actually give a crap about little things like customer service and being pleasurable human beings. read more

Wow. What the hell is going on here? Does this even count as a shop? This place is piled wall to wall with possibly (judging from other reviews) stolen bikes. And I don't mean like, it's a little crowded, it's like an entire room piled floor to ceiling with rusty metal. You can't even get in the door. There is a 3x3 foot space just inside the door where the proprietor sits on the floor. Have you ever seen that show "Hoarders"? It's like hoarders with rusty shitty stolen bikes. I got overwhelmed with craigslist bike shopping so I decided to try this place down the street from me. Mr. Bikedude was sitting on the step (because you can't even get inside) so I asked if he had anything resembling what I was looking for. He pointed to the one on the sidewalk, the one that he had JUST WATCHED ME TRY and dismiss. I said "I just tried that one." He went back to yelling at someone on the phone. When he looked up, he looked annoyed that I was still standing there. He said there was another one inside but "I don't want to get it right now." Huh? I said "Well, can I see it?" and he said "It's pretty old, nobody wants it." and I said again, "Well, can I see it?" and he said "It's way back there, I can't get it right now." At that point I gave up, as this dude is clearly shady and/or crazy. This place has got to be a front for something. Even considering a possible business model of "own the building - steal bikes - sell one overpriced bike a week" I still don't think he could afford to eat. There must be something more going on there. Just based on looking through the windows, the Fire Department is completely justified in shutting this place down. Do it. read more

Down-to-earth quality expert service... Adeley? (Not sure how to spell his name, I think it was the owner) was incredibly helpful. He stayed open FORTY minutes after closing to sell me some much needed parts for my skates. He was super helpful, friendly, and even helped me pump up my bike tire and put the chain back on the derailer. We bullshitted about the in-line skating community, he's a cool dude. I think all these scathing reviews are a product of trust fund babies who are sheltered and over-privileged UC Berkeley students. Get over yourself. It's not a bourgeoisie bike shop. It's a neighborhood shop where what you see is what you get. Why the hell do you want someone to hold your hand and provide you with cucumber water and a massage while your there? I don't know about you but I want the people who provide my skate parts/bikes/mechanic work done to stick to what they''re good at. I'll be going to them for a loong time. read more

I tried to buy a trailer from Karim and just left mad. Two different friends recovered bikes from Karim's. Dont steal bikes bro. And if you are riding a stolen bike you got from Karim's.... read more

I saw his ad for an obviously old bike on Craigslist and the asking price was $140. Karim's tactic is to highball you so bad you're left confused and think he's worked some magic into the bike or something that makes it reasonable to continue a conversation with him. The bike was over 20 years old (something he admitted himself) and wasn't worth more than $40. I offered $80 (still dazed from that crazy highball) since he changed the bicycle seat from a hard, torn one to a soft one. He tried to slowly raise the price by saying the seat would cost an extra $10, and if he added the kickstand it would be $5 more. Next thing I knew he was asking for $120 (not including sales tax)! All of the 3 bikes I tried out while there were rusted on the chains and handlebar and uncomfortable. There was no way I was paying $120 for this piece of junk so I repeated that I wouldn't go past 90 (thought I'd add $10 to negotiate) but he jumped up and said "F#CK YOUR 80 DOLLARS!" I have never been yelled or cursed at by any store owner so I was shocked and obviously didn't get the bike. Don't waste your time with this guy, especially if you're new at buying bikes. He'll sense it and high-ball the hell out of you! Later my friends told me that he was busted for selling stolen biked a couple years ago but he's still in business now. He claims to have the majority of bikes donated from "charity." P.S I came home and checked my email to see that he spitefully replied "walking!" to me. Highly unprofessional and petty which made me laugh. TLDR: Come here if you want terrible customer service with a cranky man and want to take home a rust bucket of a bike. read more

KARIM SELLS STOLEN BIKES. anyone who's lived in the east bay for any amount of time knows this. those people coming to the defense of this shop should understand that you are defending someone who sells bikes stolen from other people. If you want to buy a good used bike, that wasn't stolen, go to The Spoke on telegraph or another reputable shop. Please don't support bike theft. read more

This place sells stolen bikes. I've now seen parts chopped up in reuse for myself. Tho I am happy old bike parts are repurposed, this shop continues to propagate theft from cyclists targeting our community! read more

Karim Cycle - Man delivers stolen frame - Bikes Near Me - Berkeley, California

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This place should be featured in an episode of "Hoarders" and later "Intervention." There is so much wrong here, I really do not know where to start... Walking in the front door I was immediately confronted by this hostile, little, angry man (Karim?) who wasted no time getting down to business. He looked at me like a vicious dog would if you attemped to take his bone away from him. "Do you want to buy a bike?" he snapped. I saw a huge room full of old vintage bicycles and that was what I was interested in. I saw some in the back that I wanted to look at. He said I could not go back there and look at them UNLESS I was going to buy one. I'm not going to buy something with my eyes shut. Being a collector of old bicycles, I had the upper hand on him as within a few simple sentences I could tell he had NO collective knowledge whatsoever. He barked "Look, I want to sell bikes!" I said "Fine I want to buy bikes and vintage bicycle parts." He asked what kind of parts I was looking for and I told him. He dug through some boxes and found some things I wanted. As I bought each part and handed him the cash, he literally ripped the money right ought of my hand as if he had not eaten in a week. Then an odd thing happened--his entire demeanor changed and he settled down. Now that I had given him money, he LET me walk back and look at the old vintage bicycles that I had expressed interest in earlier. Sure enough they were incredibly over-priced. Then he summoned me back to the area (near the front of the store) where all of the filthy tires and other garbage was scattered. He led me through another door to a room in the back. A labyrinth of old racing bicycles stood all neatly lined up. I looked at them and then he mentioned that if I did not see anything I liked there to give him my phone number as he said he had a storage space full of old bicycles. While in the store a woman walked in and said she needed a bicycle. He asked "Well do you know which one?" She said she was not sure and asked what he recommended. He said, (and i quote) "Oh Jesus lady! How am I supposed to do business with you if you don't know what you want!" Oddly, he never made eye contact with the woman and he kept sighing as if she were really getting under his skin. The woman stormed out of the store. Bottom line: This place is a dump. Karim is a frustrated individual with a bad attitude. This is perhaps the most mismanaged small business on the planet. read more

Seriously sketchy. If you are a serious cyclist and have lived in the Bay Area for a few years, you know of Karim's as the place to go for stolen bikes. Supposedly he'll even store a stolen bike for a while before selling it so you'll stop looking for it. Look at his reviews. How could a place *so* hated stay in business for so long unless he has something up his sleeve no reputable bike shop has. read more

This guy should be a skit on SNL. He's so rude it's funny. Nuts and bolts: clearly this guy knows what he's talking about. He knows bikes. Serious selection in here. If you're determined- he will help you. But above all he is a salesman. Don't go in expecting someone fair and honest. You need to know what you're looking for and be firm in your budget. Good luck.. Oh! And maybe make sure you've had all your shots before you go. read more

So I feel like I need to come to the defense of Karim here. Some of the criticism I see here I think is pretty unjust, though some seem to be on the mark. I've gone to Karim's three times now, the first two simply to browse around and see what he has. I get the feeling that he's been in business long enough now to know when people are interested in spending money with him and when people aren't, and when you aren't he has no time for you. But why should he? He is, first and foremost, in the business of making money. On the third time I went, my girlfriend and I went with the purpose of buying something, and he could tell, and his attitude changed. We were looking for a road bike for my girlfriend, who's short (5'2"), and he had two bikes that fit her perfectly (which is in itself impressive). She wasn't sure which one she wanted and he was patient as she test rode both of them a few times, and when the one she wanted more was making a weird noise he determined what it was and fixed it right then. She ended up buying a nice, vintage Nishiki road bike for $200, which is a decent price. I see people selling similar bikes on craigslist all the time for at least $50-100 more. It's in good condition, and he offered her 30 days free service if anything goes wrong with it, which is pretty standard coverage. Karim might not be the warmest guy around selling bikes, but he sells what he has at a decent price and he's not BS'ing anybody. He let us know exactly what he thought of each bike and why my girlfriend should choose one bike over the other. I would probably give this place 3 stars if everyone else hadn't given this 1. Hopefully I can lift his rating just a little bit. This wouldn't be my first choice to go to for buying a bike, but it's not a bad option either. You just need to go with the attitude that you're actually interested in buying something he has. read more

Great place to go if your bike was recently stolen and you're looking to buy it back for twice its value.

Karim will find a bike to suit you no matter your budget. He's fair and he knows bicycles

Karim is unfortunately overloaded by internet haters. Some of them are people that maybe just don't like Karim's style, but most of the people posting here are drama queens having PTSD flashbacks from when their huffy got stolen, and are blaming it on the bike curmudgeon/hoarder who has just a little too much of a penchant to collect any bike someone brings his way. Karim needs to learn how to do internet marketing, but he's never going to, so this is what you get.. a funny quirky guy who owns perhaps the lowest rating business in the entire area. Look, everyone gets their bike stolen at some point. A used bike for sale, over 10 years old, has probably been stolen at one point, or has stolen parts attached to it. Mine got stolen by a crackhead last year, and it was probably nicer than yours. I made some dumb decisions and I paid the price for it. If you have a nice bike, don't leave it locked somewhere for more than a couple hours! If your $200 bike got stolen, get over it! That's the price of admission for living in the area. Go buy another one! read more

I've known Karim forever, back when he ran a bike shop just like every other. Yes, he is a quirky guy, yes, he seems a little bitter at the rap he's gotten for supposedly selling stolen bikes, but if you actually knew him you would know that he would never buy a bike he thought was stolen. If you do an internet search you will find the article written about a raid that took place, and if you scroll down you will find the article where he was exonerated and all the suspected stolen bikes were returned. I think he is his own worst enemy because he come off bitter and unfriendly but i have to say that he has always treated me well and been fair. I read the other posts where people say they have actually recovered stolen bikes there. If that's true and I have no reason to think someone would lie about it, I wonder if they were able to get the form the thief filled out when he sold it, it might have helped catch the bastard. read more

This guy is sketchy. Do not go here! I actually went here myself 2-3 times last year when I was looking for a new bike just to see if he accidently had anything good, but he never did. The general set up of his store is sketchy with a few (20-30) bikes out on the street at a time locked up with an ugly ass chain until you select one to check out while he has a store full to the brim with bikes and bike parts that you cannot access. The selection of bikes on display when I went were pretty beat up, which is odd because the bikes featured on his website tend to look pretty shiny and new or at least in okay condition. A few of the bikes he showed me seemed to be in need of break repairs. One bike that he excitedly (if Karim can get excited because generally this guy is not friendly) showed me had a completely flat front tire... wtf!? Other used bike shops check/fix that shit. Karim claims that his bikes come from police auctions/departments but I am not sure if I believe that. The first time that I went there he asked what I was looking for and told me to come back in 2 days after he received a "shipment" from his associate from Sacramento. You could be buying someone's stolen bike if you shop here. Also, while I am mentioning places not to buy bikes I should mention the Ashby Flea Market. You will definetly feel like you are looking at stolen bikes while you are shopping there. (Part of me actually had hoped I would find my stolen mountain bike if I went to the Ashby Flea Market and Karim Cycles a few times but I did not.) read more

My wife and I were walking around Oakland/Berkeley yesterday trying to find a used road bike for me. Everyone who sells used bikes is currently out of the type of bike I wanted (58cm used road bike, must be really common?). We just happened to see a guy outside of Karim's and went to check it out. About 30 seconds in I realized who I was talking to and instantly remembered all the reviews I've read about his place. Karim is NOT a friendly guy. He's NOT warm. He will NOT hold your hand and baby you. He is there to sell bikes and that's what he does. He's very much inline with used car salesman. Just be prepared for that if you ever plan to shop at Karim's. He had two used 58cm road bikes. He didn't want to get them out if I was just "browsing," so I told him I wasn't and he got both of them out. He proceeded to ask me what the big deal is with road bikes and why everyone wants them these days (how would I know?). He quoted me a price, we did a bit of haggling, and I ended up with a solid road bike for $260 out the door. The guys does know bikes, though. There was a quirk or two with the bike that he told me how to fix. Nothing huge, but it was nice. read more

I could honestly say I wish I'd never bought bikes from this place. My sister and I are college students and he ripped us off. The bikes we bought for 260 dollars were pieces of ..... they are recycled pieces from other bikes out together. We didn't know this we thought he was an honest man. We brought them back after two days the chains broke off. He "fixed" them we wanted our money back he said no so we left again with the "fixed bikes" turns out they are really broken now. DO NOT GO THERE!! If you need your bike fixed then maybe he can piece something together for you but honestly don't give this man your money....unless you want to be ripped off. I don't ever write bad reviews and I hate to be messing up his money with the whole COVID19 going on but seriously if you can just buy a bike new or on Craigslist this was a bad mistake and I don't want anyone else to go through what we went through. read more

After seeing all these bad reviews I had to go and see what its all about.. I shit you not! I actually had a good Shopping experience.. Got a good used bike that Adlai was very glad to tune them up just right unti I was a happy boy.. rode away with a big smile on my face.. read more

I'm having an a-ha moment, a little too late. I should have read these yelp reviews long ago to confirm that uneasy suspicion that sticks in my gut each time I've gone to Karim's. I went there the first few times because it was so close to my place. He definitely has no customer service skills but he adjusted my rollerblades and brakes for like $5 and lets me fill my bike up with air or has made minor adjustments to my bike for about $10 or for free on some occasions. The next time I went in, which was recently, he was hecka rude, nothing out of the ordinary but more on edge this time. He yelled at me for walking into the shop and looking around. Hmmm. But I must say, I've been looking for a cheap, good used bike for a month now and there aren't many out there right now. I went to the Bent Spoke and Missing Link and they both are really low in inventory. Craigslist has some ok ones but not in my size and price range. Karim's really does have lots more and I must say I'm tempted to go back but I won't, just b/c I don't want to support whatever shadiness might be going on there. There was a black man that works there with long gorgeous dreads who was super friendly and helpful though. I don't know his name but props to him. read more

I found my stolen bike on Craigslist being sold by this store. I wish I could mark it negative stars...