Elsa H.
Yelp
I got my first flat today.
It was inevitable--I ride in Oakland, after all, where the bike lanes are festively decorated with sparkling glass, the smashed butterscotch of signal lights, the red candy shards of brake lights, and the odd glittering bottle cap. This is all not to mention the general condition of the roads, with potholes that could take out a motorcycle, let alone a bicycle, and ruts that'll trap even 700 x 28s.
Of all the places I could go to, I took the bus over to Lakeview Bicycle. I'd been in before for little things--a new seat, rear rack installation, cargo net, chain lube--and been happy with the service.
Not-Charlie (I think it's Not-Charlie, I forgot to get his name, and feel a little bad about that now, but anyways, it's not the guy with the curly hair I normally see over there) said he'd have it done in ten minutes. I poked my head over after he started getting into it, and he offered to show me how it was done. I took him up on it, I'm always glad to learn how to take care of my vehicles, and he was a fine teacher. He found the staple that had gone through my tread and tube, extracted it, and helped me install a new tube.
Even with hanging out after to chat, and Not-Charlie tuning the brakes a little, I was out in less than twenty minutes, and for less than $15. I'd heard of other places charging more like $20-25 for a flat repair, and considering that Not-Charlie took the time to show me how to do it myself in the future too... Well, I'm definitely going back here for future repairs and the like.
(If you're curious about what they retail, there's a limited but solid selection of panniers, bar tape, chain lube, underseat bags, tools, pumps, etc. Unless you're looking for a very specific product with very specific dimensions, you should be able to get what you need here. Prices are fair, I think they do the standard retail markup, rather than the we-are-a-serious-bike-shop markup.)