This cubby hole shop is one of the old-school spartan spaces, doing well to remind the visitor that the esoteric frames and custom-montage bicycles are not high price-point mass produced bikes masquerading as works of art; these are the real things in a very suitable gallery.

Some of the gruppos on these bikes are fairly retro, and subtly so in that eclectic sense that comes from skimming the cream from the top of the bins at swaps and fleas to puttogether the best a period has to offer. Not to say that there were not some very modern component groups on a few of the bikes- in fact, they just added to the sense of an individual with a strong taste in the equipment of the bicycle frame.

Customer Service

My only downside about ths shop was the stand-offish manner of the people behind the counter. I can't imagine that they get many folks wandering by that location far from either Telegraph, Shattuck or University, where plenty of other shops lie on the far more beaten path. There certainly were no other customers during the 20 or so minutes I was poking around in there, but there remained an uncomfortable silence from the sales people no matter how close to the counter I got- even after trying to strike up conversation!

Unfortunately I felt positively disinvited to strike up conversation about some of the more interesting menageries in there, so I cannot vouch for any aspect of their actual customer service.

Similar Products Used:

Clearly the people who run this shop have much to take pride in, but ultimately the sheen of elitism repelled more than attracted me when it came to investigating the possibilities the place offered despite my unfulfilled need for a new CC/touring frame. But there are so many good frame builders in the Bay Area that are not so buried in obscurity, and can relate without seeming like their head is enveloped in a cloud of chronic snobbery, that I know I have plenty of equally interesting and qualified options in the echelon of high-end frame buildering.