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January 2023 by Chris Vallee
Rob has been a great and knowledgeable guy to work with. Fair pricing, service with a smile, cool dogs, he’ll tell you straight and gives sensible advice on longer term solutions, the whole package!
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July 2020 by Ben Timby
Very cool, hole-in-the-wall bike shop. Very friendly and knowledgeable with fair prices.
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August 2019 by Cody Bam
As a business owner myself this is not how you deal with customers! Apparently this guy won't install a 11x34 cassette on my rim if I bring it in. Didn't wanna write this review...not cool man!
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July 2019 by Ala A.
Have been going to Rob for a few years and he's as good a dude as he is knowledgeable and passionate about bikes. Always fair and transparent and just a pleasure to work with. Feel really lucky to have a great mechanic who I've come to consider a friend.
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April 2019 by Brian Christopher Asch
Best mechanic around! Still riding a wheel he built 25 years ago!
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January 2019 by Abe G.
I needed some advice and cable housings while I had some down time in San Rafael. Reviews pointed me to Rob who answers the phone right away with really helpful suggestions and just the items I was looking for (grey brake cable housing like Rivendell, though his price was slightly higher than their's but still fair) to use with barend shifters (and he was very familiar with barends and the options for cable routing them). He gave some specific directions to find his shop in a warehouse, but I ended up running out of time and couldn't go into the shop. He was understanding, experienced, and thoughtful which is a lot considering he got nothing out of me from all that. If I'm back in San Rafael I'll definitely stop by and support with LBS.
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August 2018 by Michael Whelden
Rob sold me my first mtb over a decade ago in Sausalito. Since then he has worked on my bikes over the years and has done excellent work. He is very knowledgeable and helpful with project bikes or repairs. I have always appreciated his honesty with what needs to be done to my bikes.
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October 2017 by Chuck W.
Purchased a Groupon tune up after reading several yelp reviews. I called several times trying to make an appointment and never heard back. I understand that they may may busy, but and acknowledgment would have been nice.
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September 2014 by Paul M.
Worth going to. Read the Docs review and take it as you will. I won't go anywhere else. I have been going to him since I moved up here and recommend him to the guys I know without hesitation.
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April 2014 by Mark B.
Rob is great. I needed a brake cable replaced on my very lightweight handicap scooter and he told me to come in and he'd do it right away. He did. 5 stars w/o a doubt.
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March 2014 by Two W.
4 Stars. And I'm stingy with stars, so this means I really like the function that Rob Spear provides for the cycling community. I had to write a review when I saw the 1 star complainers on there (Doctor G. you should really think about this--is it 1 star I should give or 3? From your review you got a lot from this place and then it didn't work out. Don't be a bitter ex-girlfriend. Realize the good things you got out of this relationship--then you broke up and moved on.... Trust me. At some point in your future illustrious medical career you are going to screw up/forget something etc. You might even fire a patient one day from your practice. That's the beauty of being a one man show in America. You can do that.) Rob really does a good job on all types of bikes. He's a one man, one dog show. Sure the dog will growl at you, then come over for a head scratch. One guy can't be there all the time. This isn't Nordstrom's or Walmart yelper people, so think about that. You get Rob to fix your bike himself, not some high school kid or new guy who doesn't know what to do. Rob doesn't have an army of people around--deal with it. He doesn't have a high overhead either so his services are either the same price, less or WAY less (like 75% off) of some of the shops in the area. He won't nickle and dime you to death. He doesn't try to sell you stuff you don't need. I don't just go to one shop or one place all the time, but I keep going back to see Rob and sending people to see him because he is a solid good mechanic. Enjoy people. Not everything is perfect every time I walk out of there, but that true of every shop in town. If it were I give Rob the full 5 stars. But like I said--I'm stingy with stars and not some paid gusher-just an honest reviewer.
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March 2014 by Dani Marie K.
I purchased a voucher from Amazon Local for a Pro Bike Tune-Up with Drivetrain Cleaning. To use this voucher you are supposed to call the phone number listed and make an appointment. The message on Rob's voice mail said that he does not take messages by phone and to either text him or send an email. So I sent the email that he responded to. I called back the next day and made an appointment for the following Monday. He said I could come in any time between 10 am and 5 pm. I told him I would be there around 2:00 pm. I arrived at 2:00 pm at the stated address. I could not find his business. No Rob, no signs, nothing. I knocked on a couple of doors and only found folks that spoke only Spanish, but no Rob. I called his phone again, but no answer, so I sent a text as he requests in the message. No response. I wait for 1/2 hour an still no body anywhere. I then called Amazon Local and explained my dilemma and they offered me a refund. I took it and then texted Rob to let him know the situation. Later, I get a call on my cell phone with a very condescending rant about needing to get something to eat and that he left without his phone, like it was my fault for him needing to eat, going out without his phone and not leaving any kind of a note anywhere that said that he was out for awhile. I had other appointments that day and did not want to wait indefinitely for someone at a place that had no signage at all that it was a place of business. Not even a note anywhere that he was out. Nothing. Would anyone else have stayed under these circumstances? I don't think so. His phone call was so condescending and he did not give me a chance to say anything about my concerns. So, I thought I would help him by sending a short, straight forward email explaining what I encountered and wishing him well. His response: "i honestly do not care about your opinion about anything related to my shop, hours, location, or signage; It works for me and my model." So, if this is the kind of business you would like to work with, I wish you well too. Good luck. Others that have received his service seem to be pleased, but getting that service may not be as easy as elsewhere.
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November 2013 by C G.
Ughhhhhh. Writing this review really pains me. Let me start off by saying that Rob is fundamentally a nice and good person, he's just very difficult and runs a business poorly. He's also a bit of a narcissist. I've been giving this guy business for almost 2 years. I like keeping my business local and he does good work, plus his prices are fair. So when I have work to be done, I call him first. Here's where it starts to get tricky... 1. Oftentimes, due to him being a one man operation, his turnaround time is slower than other shops in town by several days, but if my schedule can accommodate it I still take the work to him. Because I'm loyal and he's my bike guy. But on occasion (like twice) I've had to go elsewhere because my time is limited. That's how it works in a competitive market. I don't think twice about this, it's just an annoyance, and I call him first the next time. 2. Over the years he's given me advice (e.g., go tubeless, get hydraulic brakes, etc), which is cool. To save money, I try to buy the parts online and bring the work to him (I'm a resident physician and don't have a ton of money, so yah I'm thrifty and buying parts online is WAAAYYYY smarter). But he urges me to let him buy the parts for me, claiming that "I'll match their price" (which basically means he's buying it super cheap (like I do) and selling it full price). When I declined and bought the parts through ebay, he suggested that I tip him for his advice, which irritated me but I did it anyhow ($25). Let me clarify that his advice was along the lines of "buy this brand" and "don't buy this brand". We're talking about 30 seconds worth of info. 3. So this week I'm on vacation and I have plans to ride every day for a week straight (yes, finally!), but I bust a spoke and my rear tire is all untrue and not rideable. I call him on SATURDAY morning for a tune up and he tells me he can't START working on it until WEDNESDAY. The other shops in town tell me they'll have it done by noon on Monday. So I apologize to Rob, explain my vacation situation and tell him I'll see him next time. What does Rob do? He fires me! He says "you're a bad customer" and "you're not welcome in my shop" and "you don't know what loyalty is." And to top it off, the icing on the cake: he compares himself to me, a physician, and says "imagine if you had a private practice and your patients were hopping around from doctor to doctor." First of all, dude, you're a bike mechanic, not a doctor! Second, patients do that all the time! If I had something urgent come up and my doctor said he couldn't see me for 5 days, I would go somewhere else. If I was diagnosed with some illness, I would get a second opinion (like I urge my own patients to). That doesn't mean I'm not loyal. That's how business works. Third, that's how business works! This is Marin, the birthplace of mountain biking. There are at least 10 bike shops in San Rafael alone and they all do quality work and they're fast. If you want to own your own business, great. But be prepared when your customers shop around. Competition is normal. To sum up, I like Rob and I don't like writing this review. I think it's really sad that he fired me for being a bad customer because of some perceived disloyalty, when in fact I've been loyal to him for several years. He's just bad at running a business. I strongly recommend that you go to any of the other bike shops in town.
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September 2012 by Jd W.
Great job with bikes. He worked with us and was honest about the repairs needed. Thanks!
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August 2012 by B Z.
Rob is great. This was my second time going to Rob for his work and i enjoy doing business with him. First, he is very knowledable and thorough. This goes a long, long way...he just knows what he is doing. Second, this is what he does and it is not a piece of his business. His shop is all about working on bikes. Third, he is friendly and appreciates his customers. Fourth, he stands behind his work. Really no way you will be disappointed with Rob. I have always been skeptical of the work some 'shops' perform...
