Motostrano

And she Rode off on her awesome new E bike! Thank you Joe, this bike rules! And thanks for letting me try out every bike in the shop, go home, sleep on it and then try every bike over again. I found the right bike for me with your knowledge, selection, and patience. Small, fast and fits me, the kid, and the dog! Weeeeeeeeeee! Thanks!

This review is about electrical bikes, not any other type which they have lots of. I visited the store to check out electrically assisted bikes. I wanted a bike for commuting. I talked with technician who knew very well the subject and showed me several bikes. He focused on family bike which had lots of additional features like rack, fenders etc and was over $ 4k although I had asked for strip down commuting bike for much less. Only one mountain bike was for test drive and I had to sign contract to get that including handing them my driver license which they forgot to give back. I bought the bike for different place where ALL bikes which they had were available for test drive without any paper signing or driver license withholding.

I rarely do reviews on Unilocal but buying a bike through Motostrano was one of the best buying experiences I’ve had. I’m doing a tour of CA but didn’t wanna buy a touring bike so I was interested in other options. I talked through a couple of the things my friends had advised me on and the folks at Motostrano were extremely knowledgeable and helpful in recognizing things I’d heard and recommending new areas of consideration. Ultimately I purchased a Felt cyclocross bike for the journey. They did an installation of the seat rack right there and also sized it for me at the time of purchase. They encouraged me to take it out a few times and get back into their shop for a tune and any further adjustments prior to my journey. The next time I’m in the market for a new bike, I’ll be back to this gem of a bike shop.

Do not take your Bionx e-​bike system here for warranty service (and don’t buy Bionx here either).
I had a defective battery that was still very new, but died during charging. Plain and simple: a dead battery that needed replacing. They acted like I was making up stories with a second hand part, rather than helping me to verify my warranty.
They charged me for over 3 hours of learning how to run a basic diagnostic, in order to verify that it was dead. I paid for them to not only to reconfirm that the battery was in fact dead, which I knew, but also for their personal training session. As an official Bionx warranty service shop, they should already know how to run their Bionx diagnostic software, or should take their own time to do so.
It does not help that they did a sloppy job of reassembling my electrical wiring, causing $ 130 in damage. This is very bad practice, even for a bike shop. I got gouged.
If they don’t want to work with Bionx, then they should get out of the business. Despite 2 defective motors and 2 defective batteries, I am still more satisfied with my Bionx product than I am with Motostrano Bionx warranty service. And that says a lot.
Update:
– Joe W., you are making up stories just to save face, and to hide sloppy business practice.
Your «standard fees» were never posted or described. The wiring was perfectly fine, tidy, and did not require any alleged «service» to it. The bicycle is not ‘vintage’, and it remains perfectly safe to ride. Your staff did admit that they did not know how to do a diagnostic, so they had to learn. The only problem was a dead battery, which you replaced. There is no excuse for the damage done to the console wiring and control wiring, which is delicate.
FYI, I have found the best Bionx technician in my region: he fixed the broken wiring, and he explained to me in detail how the transaction should have taken place. I stand by my review, and my honest reporting of my experience with your shop.

I have done business with these guys a couple times. Went to the store a couple months ago to pick up a special ordered part and was surprised by the owners attitude, Seemed like doing business was a hassle, I asked to borrow the bathroom and they watched me like I was going to steal something !! very weird. They probably do better selling on the internet cause they’re not very customer service oriented. Good luck.

Soooo here it goes … I ordered a set of wheels warp 9 flat black with gold nipples and gold hubs 3 weeks later i call for a update and they tell me the wheels have just been sent out for anodizing and at that point i noticed it came with a 44t aluminum sprocket i do a lot of street riding so i asked them if there was anyway they could change out the sprocket for a steel one and also throw a 41 t on it to keep it stock the guy on the phone said yea ill have it taken care of 5 weeks go by and i get a email stating my wheels have been shipped. They show up and im blown away they look sick but i remembered ordering them with a 320 rotor up front and a bracket for the caliper. So i call them late friday and i guess the guy that does online orders was gone for the weekend i think i called at like 0545 sooo i call today to see where my missing adapter was, and a gentel man named Frank got on it like fly on shit he asked me to send him pictures so he could contact warp 9 directly and when he said i will get back to you in an hr or so he did great guy and great customer service. Moral of the story is these guys are professionals in what they do they were always nice and courteous never once did i feel like they were giving me the run around and everything was resolved im a happy customer and will deffinetly buy from them again. All in all happy with the turn around time for custom set of wheels.
Mike H

By far the best electric bike shop in the bay area.
I have visited quite a few shops over the past 2 years, and I always liked this one the best. Today ultimately I purchased an ebike from them. You don’t feel rushed or pushed into buying a bike. The staff are very friendly and nice, and I got very comprehensive explanation for the bikes I was considering, and they could help me narrow down and find the bike that fits me well. The best part is the staff. They are very welcoming and don’t feel bad about trying their bikes, so you can easily try a few and get a feel of what you are buying. I visited another store and after the first test ride the guy asked me are you going to pay cash or cc? What the… haha. Anyway. I am picky about what I buy and I am happy Motostrano is there for us!

I purchased my first electric bicycle here, and it was a great experience. They were knowledgable and willing to spend a lot of time to help me make the right choice. They have a wide selection of electric bikes and it was fun learning about the various brands/​systems out there. I chose this store over several other stores closer to my home because of the positive Unilocal reviews and they totally lived up to that.

I got my A2B e-​bike over a year ago and absolutely love it! The owners and staff are really helpful, knowledgeable and super pleasant to be around. If you’re looking for a bike, especially an e-​bike I highly recommend you check Motostrano out, you will not be disappointed.

My husband and I purchased two Felt e-​bikes from Joe and his team. The advice and customer service we have received has been fabulous. The variety of bikes available to test drive is amazing. I would highly recommend anyone thinking about an e-​bike check them out.

A really fantastic team with great customer service.
My new e-bike’s motor kept failing and needed replacement under warranty. The team at Motostrano handled all the repairs efficiently and professionally. Finally, after the third burned out motor, they insisted that the manufacturer give me a brand-​new upgraded replacement bike and not just a new motor.
I am now quite happy with the latest model and have Motostrano to thank for it. They went above and beyond my expectations.

Motostrano customer service is great. As well as the products they offer.
I normally order online, however this time I called and placed an order over the phone which was just as easy as ordering online. The benefit of calling was direct feedback about the product. It was great.
Thanks Frank! (the person I consulted for my order)

Neat bike, slimy sales execution.
I’m of two minds about Motostrano. On the one hand I like my new bike. On the downside I don’t care for how they sold me on it.
I went in to look at bike 2015 X which I had researched. They had model 2014 X+1 on the floor. Test ride great. Cost… wait it might be on sale. $ 2800 down to 1800. Score.
Of course now that I’m home I have to read up on bike X + 1. What do you know, bike lists on their website and other places online as MSRP 1899 — 2099. First I thought maybe I misheard 2800. My friend was with me and she heard 2800 too.
I feel slimed.
Caveat Emptor.

I picked up my bike damaged and the shop did not offer to provide a resolution to fix it. I bought some new 2014 Shimano XTR BL/​BR-​M987 levers/​calipers/​pads and rotors and needed to have my front brake line reduced and bled. I could have done it myself if I had the tools. But I had a bad experience, feel the shop is not trustworthy, and they don’t hold themselves accountable for their mistakes.
First problem, they charged $ 10 more than the price listed on their board and over the phone to cut and bleed the front and rear for my particular model. When I got there a few days later, someone else said it was because I have discs. Recall that I previously verified my model over the phone and the price to do the work.
Second, they spilled brake fluid on my front brakes and rotors. After I picked it up, I felt the residue on the disc, like the viscosity of brake fluid. As a result, they squeal. They attributed the problem as pre-​existing. These are new, unused parts. I built the bike, installed and aligned the calipers and rotors, and the problem did not previously exist during my alignment. If it did, I would have asked them if they could service it. Again, I only brought my bike in to bleed and cut my brake lines.
For problems this small, they tried to squander their way out of it. They only offered to explain everything to me. If I had brought the bike in for larger repairs or maintenance, they will definitely try to squander their way out of that.

I don’t know if I caught these guys on a bad day, or what, but I was shopping for Supermoto Wheels, and wanted to ask them which wheelset I should order for my Husqvarna 310. The guy I talked to was rather dismissive, said «yeah, sure pick any one of them they’re all the same.» The guy was definitely in a hurry to end the conversation, while I was trying to clarify which of their choices online (none of which applied to my model bike) was the right one.
So I called up Warp9, the guys that make the wheels that Motostrano resells, and they were pretty specific asking me to measure the hubs on my bike for an exact fit, saying they had more issues with Husqvarna than other manufacturers. That gave me the warm and fuzzies that I’d be receiving correct parts to mount on the bike.
If I had just picked «whatever» like Motostrano suggested, I suspect it would have been at least a month of shipping wheels back and forth until I got the wheelset I needed, instead of going right to the source and having the Warp9 guys deal with me with zero BS, and without the reseller markup.
Like I said, maybe I caught them on a bad day, when they were out of F’s to give, or maybe this is how they always do business.
They get 1 star for crappy service, but they DO happen to carry a wide variety of parts, if you’re willing to deal with a nice dose of attitude.

They gave my bike one of the best tuneups of its life and even delivered it to my house when it was done for free thanks to a Unilocal check-​in offer.
For a small shop they have a great selection of bikes, including some rare cool city/​commuter brands like Vanmoof. I think they’re the only Vanmoof dealer in NorCal.

Outstanding service by Joe and crew. I bought a Stromer electric bike from them and had all sorts of problems, all due to Stromer. Joe took care of every single one, following up with Stromer, getting me replacement bikes, delivering the bikes to my house… I mean, he and his crew really went over and above what you would expect any shop to reasonably do. And they’re great guys and have a fantastic selection of high quality gear. You can tell they love this stuff and love their customers. Great shop!

I bought an electric bike from Suburban Bikes two weeks ago. I was very impressed by the shop’s outstanding follow-​through on every aspect of the sale, from ordering to post-​sale adjustments of bike mechanics.
In my case the sale did not go smoothly, due mainly to delays on the part of the bike shipping warehouse. Almost everything that could go wrong, did, but this bike shop communicated every potential problem and worked with me to fix them. Just a few highlights:
— The salesman (Joe, who I believe is also the owner) was honest almost to a fault. He told me that the Stromer regenerative braking mechanism doesn’t recapture energy well, which I didn’t believe — until I got the bike and experienced it myself. He also hinted that I might feel cramped on the smaller-​sized model, which again I didn’t believe until I rode the bike the first time.
— The bike had to be ordered, due to my wanting a size that was not in stock. Despite several problems at the shipping end, the bike still got into my hands the same week that I asked the shop to order it!
— When I changed my order, the discount amount ($ 100) was transferred to my new order, even though technically that bike was not on sale. Sweet.
— The bicycle was assembled nearly perfectly. Every angle felt perfect (for example, handle bars and grips). I searched hard for assembly defects, and actually found just one water-​bottle screw that needed tightening.
— What wasn’t right was fixed on the spot when I returned for a post-​sale adjustment.
I highly recommend this shop for their outstanding service and communications.

I LOVE this place… so many cool things to look at, and really good prices too! If you’re looking to build a supermoto, they really know their stuff & can help you order all the parts you’ll need, and I love the fact that they can tell you if certain parts are compatible with others, or not.
They are really busy & on the phone a lot, but I actually enjoy being able to look around freely without anyone hovering over me asking me weird questions while I’m trying to browse! Take into consideration that these guys are SO BUSY on the phones because they’re very good at what they do! Waiting for them to have a free moment is worth it if you’re confused about parts, or need any help with accessories, or any other products.

Quite a reasonable size store with a fairly large amount of items.
Dropped by here on Saturday in the hopes of walking away with an Alpinestars one piece having already checked their website and seeing the pictures here on Unilocal we were expecting a large amount to choose from but were pretty disappointed with the rack we found (
). We did get lucky and they had one in my husband size so he could try it on but not the colour he wanted so we gave it a miss.
They do have a large selection of gloves, boots and parts though and once we got the attention of a sales guy he was helpful.
It took some time to get some help though as out of the 2 sales guys both were on the phone for almost 10 minutes of us wandering around the store aimlessly.
I think if we do buy from Motostrano it will be through their website now that we know the size to get.
Overall 3.5 but I’ve bumped it up to a 4… I’m feeling nice.