Bicycle Boo-Boo?

Even on a Sunday, when you need bicycle repairs or maintenance in Monterey County, you’re in luck!

Seven days a week, nearly all have mechanics available.  Call first if you need major service on a Sunday.  And call ahead on a major holiday, to be sure they aren’t taking the day off.

Below are some local shops where you can count on professional repairs. For a peek inside the service areas of some local bike shops, see the Bike Month celebration post, “$10 at Bike Shops Goes a Long Way.”

Have a “silly” question?

I’m not-so-mechanically minded.  Perhaps, like me, you feel hesitant to ask questions at a bike shop.   Don’t be!  Most of our bike shops have employees who realize their work makes a very positive difference in the health of people and the planet. These folks take pride in their jobs and are glad to answer your questions and otherwise help you.

Maintenance and

Repair Shops

1. Carmel:  Carmel Bicycle in Carmel Rancho II, and Bay Bikes in the Barnyard.  Two good neighbors.  If you don’t find what you need at the one shop, check in with the other one, which is very nearby.
2. Monterey – Old Monterey: Aquarian at Bay Bikes.
   
3. Monterey – Cannery Row: Bay Bikes.
4. Pacific Grove: Repair service Tues-Sat (closed Sun-Mon) at Winning Wheels, 318 Grand Avenue, Pacific Grove; phone 831/375-4322 (no web site at present).
5. Salinas – North Salinas:   Bear Bikes (Note that Bear’s hours are Sun, 11-5, Mon-Sat, 10-6; the AT&T yellow page ad has an error indicating they close at 8 pm.)
6. Salinas – Oldtown: Bobcat Bicycles.
7. Seaside: If you’re biking on the path near Roberts Lake (see “Where to Bike”), the closest repair shop with mechanics available is Sports Center Bicycles on Del Monte Blvd.  
8. Seaside: CSUMB Otter Cycle Center. Full-service repair shop at discounted rates for students, faculty, and staff only.

Also see the specialty services section of Bicycle Shops, Services, Clubs, and Resources in Monterey County, which includes experts such as Joseph Crabtree of Forest Hill Bike Shop in Pacific Grove, who provides custom bikes and service, including pro builds for road, mountain, and cyclocross.

Joseph Crabtree, giving full attention to the exacting requirements for this bike.

Do-It-Yourself

Maintenance and Repair

Like to do it yourself–at least a little? You may find the bicycle parts illustrations on this “languages” page helpful.

How to change a flat

Here’s a video on how to change a flat by local Devian Gilbert, 2011 Golden Helmet Award winner and owner of Asana Cycles.

A variety of tips from Joselyns blog

Sadly, Joselyns  closed the business on January 15, 2012. The following online tips from these highly respected Monterey bike shop veterans can still be made use of:

• Changing a flat
• Keeping your shift and brake cables lubricated
• Drive train cleaning
• Obey your limit screws–chain wandering and more
• Tightening those wheel quick releases
• Check for stiff links

Micah, a veteran of the highly respected Joselyns, now closed.

For my musings on bike repairs…

and a vision for roadside bicycle repair in the USA, as is happening elsewhere, see “Prepare Communities First, Then Link Them.”

Repair and Maintenance

of Bikeways!

If you come upon a bikeway/road condition problem—

such as bikeways not clearly marked, potholes, vegetation overgrowth, or other bikeway improvements needed—please report it to the Transportation Agency of Monterey County via this online form.  If you prefer, you may phone, fax, or mail your request to TAMC.

See “Bicycle infrastructure” headings on the Monterey County Bicycle Shops, Services, Clubs and Resources page of this site.  Those infrastructure contacts are also the go-to people with regard to bikeway closures due to construction and for the latest news on current bicycle infrastructure projects for Monterey County.  You’ll also find some infrastructure news in this site’s Local Bike News section.