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We will be closed Saturday, July 4th. Have a very Happy Independence Day!

Happy Indepedence Day Sale! Select models are on sale for a short time. Click here for the sale bikes, sizes, & the low prices!

      Tip Top Bike Shop has expanded!

        We have broken through to the other side.
        The expansion will give us more room to repair
        and build bicycles, as well as giving our hard-
        working mechanics some elbow room.
        The expansion is completed --yeah!
        We're still rearranging things and trying to make it easy
        to walk around, logical, and functional
        We'll soon have a changing room...it's close
        Come on in and check it out!

        For now continue to enjoy this video of Richard breaking through the wall!


At Tip Top Bike Shop we like local...!

Oaklandish
We are happy to have some fine examples of Oaklandish mens and womens t-shirts in the shop! Come by and check them out, if you don't see your size on the hanger: just ask.
We also have more Hella Bike Oakland T's in stock. Thanks to Corsair for the screen-printing work!

Sheila Moon
Local clothing company for the serious and everyday rider. Fun and energetic styles for men and women. I love the cycling shorts --a very comfortable cut for women, and great for long rides. Sheila Moon is based in Oakland, and all clothing is made in San Francisco.

B-Spoke

Many of you will already know Nan Eastep from the Temescal Farmers Market. She tailors a variety of clothing and accessories for the everyday cyclist. We have the bicycling knickers in the shop, a huge favourite of ours as we designed them with her.

Xtracycle
The original S.U.B. Sports Utility Bike. Xtracycle is based just up the road in Emeryville. We love their products and their overwhelming enthusiasm for bicycles and having a good time. We have FreeRadicals, Radishes, and Surly Big Dummys in stock and available for test rides. We can recommend bikes that work well with the FreeRadical and configure them.

Soma Buena Vista Mixte Frameset
We have one frameset (56) in stock from this San Francisco based company, it's future retro. You could build this frame into your dream-bike.

Local Bicycle Events and Events to Bike to:

Temescal Street Cinema, Starts Thursday, June 11th and continues every Thursday thru July 16th
The Second Annual Temescal Street Cinema returns to 49th and Telegraph (Bank of the West Building) this summer for another year of great, free, locally made films! There'll be live music and free popcorn at every show, with events getting started at 8 PM every Thursday from June 11-July 16. Movies will start when it gets dark, no sooner than 8:30 PM. Come early or bring a chair! Check out their Facebook page for more information

Pizziaolo hosts Feria Urbana (urban fair), Starts Sat., June 13th 10am-2pm & every 2nd Sat of the month.
Local artists & designers selling cool stuff on their back patio! Pizziaolo is located at 5008 Telegraph Avenue.
They will also be hosting Outdoor Movie Nights during the summer. Again in the back patio area --just like last year. No dates yet, but the first movie will be a tribute to Paul Newman.

Temescal Farmers Market
. Every Sunday 9am - 1pm
Held at the DMV 5300 Claremont Avenue.
Always a bustling event. Local produce, food and drink, and local artisans. All good, the only part we'd like to see changed is the early start time....we know a lot of people who would like to see it start later and end later. It's Sunday in Temescal afterall!

Uptown Unveiled! Thursday, June 18th 5pm - 10pm
A free street fair to offer a glimpse into the downtown Oakland neighborhood. The event will encompass and feature activities at the famed Fox Oakland Theater, Oakland School for the Arts, Oakland Ice Center, in addition to area art galleries, restaurants, shops, nightspots and the new Fox Square mini-park. Uptown Unveiled! is the perfect way for foodies, families and urban warriors of all ages to celebrate the start of summer!

Bicycle Music Festival
, Saturday, June 20th
BMF San Francisco will take place over three venues across the city and include live on-bike music parading (and transporting all equipment, musicians, fans & fun) between venues.

The Schedule and Venues

8am ~ Morning cruise w/ “Live On Bike” bands.
935 York St to GG Park
10am ~ Golden Gate Park, Marx Meadow
2pm ~ Afternoon cruise w/ “Live On Bike” bands.
GG Park to Dolores Park
3pm ~ Dolores Park
7:40pm ~ Night cruise w/ “Live On Bike” bands.
Dolores Park to Pier 7
8:45pm ~ Pier 7

Art Murmur. First Friday every month. Next event is Friday, July 3rd
There are many galleries open and art events taking place during each Art Murmur. The map on their website looks a little out of date, but it's a good starting point. We have a few great galleries in and around Temescal. It's always a terrific event to ride a bike too!
MG Gallery 5532 Shattuck Avenue
Desa Arts 4810 Telegraph Avenue
Smokey's Tangle 4705 Telegraph Avenue
Slate 4770 Telegraph Avenue

The Parkway Theater
Not technically an event, but a local Oakland institution that we all miss. There is a movement to help get it re-opened, and talk of a group buying the property to keep it going as a local movie theater. Look at this website for more information.
We still love movies and to keep it local we recommend the Grand Lake Theater --free popcorn Mon thru Thurs, or the Piedmont Avenue Theater, both in beautiful Oakland. Love your neighborhood!

 

We're an Alameda County Green Business!
We're very excited to announce that we were recently awarded the status of an Alameda County Green Business. Obviously bicycles are 'green', but we do a lot more than just that; we recycle, compost, conserve water and energy, and basically do everything we can to work 'green.

...and finally tube and tire recycling is back!
It has been a while but we finally have a local place where we can recycle tubes and tires. We really love to recycle so we're very happy to be able to offer this service again. You are welcome to bring us your used tubes and tires.

Hop-a-long!
Thank you for all the well wishes I have received. For those of you who don't know Charlotte was hit when bicycling to work at the end of March. She's fine but has a broken tibia, and is now back in the shop hopping around on crutches. A huge thank you to everyone who was at the accident and helped me. I was close to Lake Merritt BART station, a very kind and thoughtful person was able to call Richard --whoever you are many, many thanks!
Here's some tips for bike safety (thank goodness for helmets!)

Bike Safety:
Lights --California law reguires a front (white) light visible for 200ft after dark. If you are stopped it is a $75 fine (and we know plenty of people who had to pay up). It is not required to have a rear (red) light but we highly recommend it. Blinky lights make it easier for drivers, pedestrians, and other cyclists to see you and save batteries. Bright clothes and reflectors are no substitute for good lights.
Helmets --California state law requires people under the age of 18 to wear a helmet while riding a bicycle. Adults can make up their own minds, but we have plenty of scare stories. All we can say is that you only have one head.
Locks --We highly recommend U-locks to keep your bike safely locked. Always try to lock your rear wheel and your frame. If you have a quick release on your front wheel, use a cable and hook it through the u-lock. Do not allow bad people to seperate you from your loyal steed.

Be Careful Out There...
Please Ride Well-Lit Streets at Night

There have been some incidents late at night. Please be extra careful on Bicycle Boulevards or poorly lit streets. Please choose well lit and/or more populated route and ride safely.

   

Who we are

We are a couple of Bay Area immigrants who LOVE Oakland and Bicycles. As people who ride every day, we want to share our enthusiasm and knowledge with people who want to start riding bikes, keep riding, or ride something new. The shop is thoroughly enjoying being open & we look forward to helping more people find the perfect new ride, fix up a loved old ride, or help you find the perfect bicycle accessory. We look forward to meeting you all soon.

Richard & Charlotte.
Need to reach us? Send us an email.

   

Reasons Why We Love Bicycles
We're Not just Another Bike Shop

Bicycles are one best examples of human invention.
They can be made using the highest tech construction and materials and/or the most artistic human craftsmanship. They can also be not much more than two wheels connected in line.
Bicycles are easy to make our own. Whether covering your bike in stickers, getting just the right sounding bell, or the exact vintage wheels for your restoration project.
Riding is an easy, joint-friendly, way to build strength and cardio-vascular health for all ages/sizes of people.
And dang, aren't bikes fun! A quiet ride along the water, an eye-watering decent, an adventure in the woods, winning that race to the end of the block beside your friend... this time, or just being able to see and smell the flowers in bloom.
These are a few reasons why we love bikes. We are sad when a bike is too damaged to ride, we are happy when we get a person riding again. We are very happy to ride in the neighborhood everyday; meeting new people and seeing our friends on bikes.

What we have

We have a full range of new bicycles and accessories. Our goal is to provide the best performing, best fitting gear. For now, please checkout the websites of our main suppliers:

Felt bicycles
Jamis bicycles
Dahon folding bicycles
Scott bicycles
Xtracycle hitchless bicycle trailers & the new Radish bicycle
Endura
clothing
Crumpler bags

Map to Tip Top Bike Shop Email Tip Top Bike Shop