Summit Bicycles

I’m new to the bike culture, I had been interested in buying a commuter bike for years… great exercise, do my part to reduce our carbon footprint etc. I had done my research and finally took the plunge! In my hours of time spent doing research, most sites recommended carrying an emergency kit: Alan wrench, extra bike tube, hand pump, those fancy little things to help get the tire off the rim… So, I decided to visit my local bike shop… the shop was busy, understandable for 5pm, and it being the only shop in Burlingame… I knew what I was looking for so I began browsing for the items that I needed for my kit… The guys working the shop busy with other customers… totally fine I don’t need some one to hold my hand… but I came to a snag, there were bike tires on the wall but I couldn’t find replacement inner tubes… no worries I’ll hang out look at the other items and wait patiently for someone to break away… I hung out for a little and then a younger bearded gentleman asked if I needed any help and I politely told him that I was looking for a 700×25c tube for my bike… and was interrupted before I could finish what I was saying and «That’s not a tire size» is what I heard from the bearded fellow… I stood there confused because I knew that I had seen 25c tires hanging on the wall in front of where we stood…“25c tires don’t exist, there’s pretty much everything else, but 25c don’t exist.” he added again rudely… I thought to myself Ok I could be wrong, I should’ve taken a picture of my tire… we stood there in a moment of awkward silence, I guess I was expecting him to at least offer some form of more information, no worries what type of bike do you ride? What size is your frame? Maybe something to go off of to help me out… nothing…just an obvious stare and silence that he had no interest in helping me out any more… I had a few items in my hand for purchase so I said Ok then, I guess I’ll come back then… I should’ve just said thanks and dropped my stuff off and left, but I felt obligated… the guy had no interest in helping me further but I sat through the awkward check out and went on my way… Sorry Summit Bikes but after that experience I think I’ll ride my bike a little further to San Mateo from now on… You folks provide a service, people obviously come in for help, and that’s why you work there to do just that… Oh, and that’s my bike tire pictured… like I said 700×25c

Amazing friendly and a very handsome face with a welcoming smile! Brought in my niece’s pink schwinn just looking for a a screw to hook the seat to the bicycle and they input that as well as pump the tires! Awesome! I just might buy myself a bike thanks guys!

Have gone in here a few times over the last year and bought various items. They have a small selection of bike clothes, gear, and bikes. Staff have been friendly and helpful in finding what you need.
Low rating from me is largely due to poor communication when I took two bikes in for service. They told me one thing over the phone and another when I got there. I Leave the bikes nonetheless and we agree on a time to pick up.
Return the next day to pick up as agree and the same guy says they are not ready and I should have waited for his call. Gimme 30 min he says. I wait 60 min (fortunately they have a comfy couch) and then they say it’s gonna be another 30 – 60 minutes.
Grr. It’s gonna take more time to go home and return than to wait again. So this time I go to the pub around the corner and wait there.

Extremely helpful when I came in to buy a replacement tire for my mountain bike. Nice small LBS feeling with a knowledgeable staff. Solid selection of mountain and road bikes too. Whether you’re looking for a super high end or entry level rig, and you’re local… COME HERE!

Great Staff Amazing Service! Just purchased my first bike they were really helpful and patient explained everything very well. Everyone was nice and friendly totally approachable I would highly recommend them.

Fantastic service. I shopped for a bike and Tom took great care of me. I ended up with a nice bicycle and all the accessories. Lifetime adjustments with already low prices, plus friendly and helpful staff: this shop will get you out on the road or the trails.

I’ve ridden MTB and commuted by bike for decades, race cross and road bikes, and currently have 5.5 bikes (the race tandem counts as ½). Summit is the bike shop that I trust the most:
*To do excellent service work, right the first time.
*To sell me well-​built bikes at a fair price.
*To go the extra mile for me, whether it’s the shop guys checking out my whole bike not just the thing I brought it in for, to the great bike fit on new bikes.
*To give me honest input, not sales talk.
Erik the service manager and Rory the sales manager are super sharp, and nice guys. They have been there a while. That tells you something right there.
It’s the only bike shop that hasn’t made a service error that caused a part failure while I rode. Even an excellent mechanic can make mistakes, but these guys haven’t yet. I put my money where my mouth is and tip the service guys every time.
The selection at the Burlingame location is better than most shops, except regarding accessories (other than tires, where they have a good selection of at least road tires).
These guys are not my LBS — I live about a 35 minute drive away — but the Summit folks are worth the drive for me. (My local bike store is very good, so this is saying something!)

The staff at summit bicycles is amazing. They make you feel comfortable and help you find the bike that fits your body and lifestyle perfectly.

Fantastic staff. I was on a ride and had a mishap with my tire, so took my bike to Summit and they fixed it up fast. They were very accommodating and friendly. Thank you! I was able to continue my ride without any more incidents. :)

Just brought in my Storck, had the guys work on it. I think Eric and Kyle worked on it but all the guys in the mechanics workshop are amazing!

I’ve been a completely satisfied customer for 25 years. Summit is always professional, always informed, and routinely exceed my high level expectations, especially in cases where there is ambiguity in warranty coverage. They’ve saved my many thousand’s over the years and also invest substantially in the local cycling community.

5 stars for not trying to «sell me» something expensive that I didn’t need and for the great customer service. I have been to other shops in the area the last few years and although generally pleasant, they didn’t resolve the mechanical problems.
I brought in an older mountain bike for a new shifter. A part time rider with little knowledge about quality and pricing of bike parts, I was apprehensive about being upgraded to expensive parts I didn’t need or treated disrespectfully because I am not a serious rider.
The staff was friendly, welcoming and professional. New set of shifters, new brake levers & new shifter/​brake cables for $ 200 including labor. The bike was finished earlier than they quoted AND they called when it was ready, The best part… the bike shifts and brakes better than when I first purchased it.
The one down side… parking is not convenient. I recommend calling Summit ahead of time and inquiring if parking is available somewhere I missed.

Came by today to get my rear brake caliper dialed in and these guys at the shop fixed it on the spot! They were even breaking down some technical knowledge on the causes and how long my rotor may last while working on my bike and showing me what was going on with the bike. This is not the first time I have had excellent service and turnaround from these guys, but it is the first time I remember to give them props on this site. Thx again fellas and until the next episode!

A bike is pretty much a commodity. So a bike shop is kind of restricted to their mechanics’ skill, customer service, and the convenience of having bike accessories available at a retail store.
Summit is getting a 5-​star review from me because of their customer service and their mechanics’ skill. I’ve been in this store multiple times now and they consistently impress me.
Today I was reminded once again how decent these guys are. Simply excellent and effortless customer service from them. I say effortless because it just appears they’re quality people just being themselves.
Sure, you can go to some huge department store, but check out Summit if you value customer service and genuine skill.

Came by to test ride a new road bike. The staff was very helpful, the bike was adjusted for me and I hit the road quickly. Of the three I visited for test rides that day, this shop impressed me most. They took the most care in fitting the bike and making sure I had a good test ride.
I bought my new road bike here. They got the bike within a week and accommodated my request to trade out a couple of components. The bike rides like a dream. I’ll take the bike in for minor adjustments when the helmet I ordered arrives. Did I mention they offer lifetime service and fit adjustments.
I’ts clear to me that this shop understands customer service.

I went into this establishment last Sunday with the purpose to check out a bike (X Caliber 6) I had conducted research on at
. I walked in and walked around and made myself familiar with the store. Once I was ready I approached the mountain bike section, here I was approached by Anthony. He was very professional, knowledgeable and patient with all my questions.
We discussed a couple different options in size for my future bike, I informed him there was a specific color I had seen online. Unfortunately, summit did not have the bike in that store but offered to bring it from their store in San Jose. Anthony advised me it would arrive the next day, but I would not have time to check it out until the next Saturday (yesterday).
I test drove the bike and decided that I would make the purchase. My reasons for purchasing the bike at this store rather than their competitors was based on the customer service I received with Anthony on my initial visit and with Tom on the purchasing day. I also took into consideration the tune up program they offer. If you purchase a bike from them you are entitled to life time service on the bike.
I look forward to having adventures with my new bike and to future purchases at this establishment.

My husband and I bought two new Trek hybrids at this store two weeks ago. Tom helped us — and he was really good; giving us the opportunity to try various models and giving us some time to make the final decision. After we bought our bikes, there was a miscommunication and it turned out that my husband’s bike would not arrive at the store on time.
We had plans to pick up our bikes and go riding on the weekend so this was a bummer. My husband’s bike was still stuck in their Santa Clara store; and he offered to go pick it up; which meant we had to make two trips to two separate stores to get our bikes. Needless to say, I was upset about it, and decided to write to the store owner at
kindly letting them know that THIS SITUATION SUCKED. They wrote back immediately (a store manager in Los Gatos I think named Pancho) apologized nicely and fixed the problem — got BOTH bikes to the store the day they were supposed to be there; and also threw in two free Bontrager helmets for the trouble. Needless to say I was over the moon.
I just want to thank the team there for everything you did to turn my disappointment into happiness. I really appreciate the extra mile you went to take care of us and make sure that we got our bikes when they were promised to us. Your effort and kindness to us does NOT go unappreciated. And for reference, I am just going to post the email correspondence we had.
Thanks to the whole team at Summit Bicycles. I highly recommend this place! If you want to pick the best bike; trust that they will take care of you; absolutely come here. We also rode our bikes on the Bayshore Trail for an inaugural spin and they are fantastic.
****
Hi Ian,
My name is Tian Lee, and last weekend, my husband Tony and I recently purchased two new Trek hybrids at your Burlingame store. Tom, who we worked with was nice and helpful. We were told that they would give us a call in the middle of the week about the status of our bikes which should arrive Saturday (one week from purchase date). They didn’t — so my husband reached out and called Tom. Tom informed us that there was a mix up and that Tony’s bike was still in the Santa Clara store and wouldn’t make it to Burlingame until Monday.
I have to say; I was very disappointed. First: the store didn’t reach out proactively and we had to reach out to find out status. On top of that; we had made plans to take those bikes to go riding on a trip; so that really sucks for us. My husband, who wanted to be understanding said that we could go pick up his bike in Santa Clara; but I just really felt compelled to write you this note to explain the situation.
I know you own a few of these stores and are probably committed to making sure every customer you have is happy. But it’s hard. And mistakes happen. But I would really appreciate anything you could do to help us feel a bit better about this situation; or trust that making sure your customers are happy is important to you. Ideally; the bikes are in Burlingame by Saturday as promised. Please let us know if there is anything you can do to help.
I really want to be an advocate for you guys — but want to give you the chance to see if we can make things right.
Thanks,
Tian Lee
***Summit’s Response***
Tian,
Ian is out of town on vacation at the moment but I am happy to help you with your issue. First of all I want to apologize for the mix up and lack in communication on our part. Your complete satisfaction is very important to us. I would like to give both you and your husband a complimentary pair of Bontrager helmets to help make up for our error. Both bikes can be ready for pick up at our Burlingame store tomorrow if you want. The option to pick up one at the Santa Clara store is still available as previously discussed with the sales person in Burlingame.
Please let us know which route you would like to go.
Thanks,
Pancho Pimentel

Been here more then a few times, called in asked if they had a 27.5 tire 605g person who answered the phone stated yes we have several, get to the shop and ask for a replacement tire with the torn one in hand after 5 minutes they state sorry we do not have that specific tire, we can order it for you and then install if for you when we get it in. SMH so I guess i’m a little pissed that if you say you have something and when you get there you say it has to be ordered why say you have it???
I have tested few bikes with these folks mostly trek bikes did not have any problems with trying out there bikes, they did convince me to go with hydraulic instead of mechanical brakes, so I would be fishing over and extra 2−3hun just for the upgrade if not stepping up bike model to something higher. They are very helpful in regards to bikes and bike care, accessories needs and wants, they do have 2 stores so they can check what they do have in stock but not sure if the guy in front was new or not it just seemed as if he did not know what they had in store or where to look, he checked with staff in back working on bikes to see if they have what they need and surprise surprise they do not.
Sadly don’t think I will be back, this spot is more of in the area I live in so it is easy to get to, but if the person in the front does not ask the questions needed to determine if the parts are available then you kinda gonna lose your customer base.
my first few visits the staff was very helpful and the person in front was very knowledgeable and knew what the store had in stock seems just recently whoever is managing in the front doesn’t ask the right questions or check what they have on the floor
bikes ??? depends on what you are looking to ride
price $$$ depends on you want to spend
service *** prior to my recent stop by sadly bad customer service, on prior visits ***** always helpful and knowledgeable
ambiance **** neat, clean, very open, section in the back for them to tune your bike

This store is not good.
Bad customer service, they don’t own to their own mistake and they have a truly awful attitude towards customers that I was happy to «correct» during my last (forever) visit.
It’s a shame that the only decent bike store in the peninsula is so god damn bad because they could be a true point of reference for the many bikers in the area, but they are just so bad to deal with, they are not worth the hassle.

Their $ 90 full tune up is supposed to include a list of services that are very hard to verify IF the were actually done. Things like «adjust headset» and «adjust hub bearings,» among others. I have no way of knowing IF those items were inspected and/​or adjusted. But, one item on the list is «wipe down bike…» And after $ 90 in tune up and $ 90 in parts (brake and shifter cables) and labor… The bike was dirtier than when I brought it in and CLEARLY not wiped down.
Frustrating. Light truing of wheels apparently means, «Meh. Close enough.»
The cabling seems well done, but getting a dirty bike back, with tape glue on the frame and out-​of-​true wheels, does not inspire much confidence. Especially when I dropped almost $ 200 on it. But, they did have it ready a day earlier than they projected! So, there’s that!
This place makes me miss the old «Bike Route» in San Bruno. It seems, being in Burlingame, they expect everyone that walks in, has money to burn. Overpriced is an understatement. I’ll have to try Performance in SM, next time around.