Don Rafa’s Cyclery

At first I will tell about the Tim of this place as I found as the awesome way to me. This guy was so knowledgeable and efficient also. It is sure for the quality work with the reasonable rates.
So for the further stage I would back again.

I’ve been here two times and both times the people were very nice. Today I came in on one of my bicycles to get an innertube for another bicycle that I got flat on yesterday while on a nice bike ride through the city.
I told the lady I only had five bucks in my pocket, which was true, and she said perfect the cost of an innertube is 5 dollars. ;)
Buys: 1 bicycle innertube
Cost: $ 5 cash
Happy customer. The city awaits

Great local Mission bike shop. I visited looking for a bike for my 4 year old and when they didn’t have one that suited they recommended a thrift store nearby. Super service I found a bike at the thrift store and returned to get some repairs and upgrades everything was done really well, quickly and very reasonably priced. What a wonderful bike shop! I will be looking for reasons to return and support this fantastic local business.

I come here over and over and over. Been coming here since Rafa was around. This is where you come get all your parts for your city bike. Good prices and good service always.

It was my first time coming to this place from a friend’s recommendation. My experience was very positive. I needed my cable to be replaced and the break pads to be readjusted. The job was done promptly, the quality was great, and the price is super reasonable. There are not much customer service tho but I am okay with that. :)
Will definitely come back!

I would LOVE to support a local business… aaaaand, it is general knowledge amongst the bike-​loving community that Don Rafa’s is known to sell, umm, bikes obtained without the most integrity (ya know what I mean?). To one who has some general bike knowledge, it’s pretty obvious what is going on. Ugh, it’s really too bad. Their prices are cheap… for a reason.

Contented on the service they gave me, not much blah blah blah they just go str8 to the point… And most important… They’re cheap and fast…

This is one business that has customer service perfected. When I set out to purchase my new, used bicycle, I had a few goals in mind. Those goals being, purchase from a small, family owned business, spend less than $ 300, get a quality roadbike and pick a place I would want to return to for any future bicycle related purchases I may need. Don Rafa achieved these goals and more. I was able to find a good quality road bike, and U lock for $ 280. That night, while riding from Market to Upper Haight, I discovered that the chain on my new, used bike, was definitely more used than it was new when it broke in half. My bus ride home was spent cursing Don Rafa and his shoddy bicycle store.
The next day, I woke early and hastily worked my way, chain in hand, to the Mission. Upon arrival, I was promptly greeted by Don Rafa’s son. Don Rafa recognized me immediately and rose from his chair to shake my hand. Upon seeing the broken chain, his son informed me, with an apologetic look, that all purchases were sold ‘As-​Is’ and that I may purchase a new chain if I were so inclined. Had Don Rafa not brushed his son aside and took the bike from my hands, our encounter would have ended there, as would any chance of a return purchase.
Don Rafa, however, saved the day. He promptly opened a new chain and began affixing it to the bike. Once the replacement chain was intact, Rafa proceeded to inspect every detail of my new, used bike, checking every nut and bolt, tightening and adjusting as needed along the way. After every inch of the bike had passed inspection Rafa checked the air pressure and tire quality then, handed the bike back to me. In a matter of minutes I went from googling bike shops on my Android to pulling out my wallet to pay Rafa more money. Of course, when he saw me reach for my back pocket he waved me off and told me to go enjoy the weather and my new bicycle.

Don Rafa’s Cyclery is a tradition in the Mission District.
*If you are looking for a local family operated business: that’s your place!
*If you are looking for a byke mechanic that is very knowledgeable and honest: that’s your place!
*If you are looking for an inexpensive byke or recycled parts for your byke: That is your place!

Don Rafa helped me change a flat very quickly. He was kind of nice about it. He also tightened my handlebars and gave me a new tube cap for free.
It was super cheap: $ 16 for two new tubes, a tire changing tool, and labor on changing the tire.
I don’t know shit about bikes or bike-​selling ethics, so this place was perfect for me and I like supporting small businesses in my neighborhood.

This place sells cheap bikes. Most of them are in terrible shape– the guy greases them up and sells them for $ 120. I test rode three bikes, the chain fell off on two of them and the brakes didn’t work on the other. I then bought one and took it to another local shop to get it road-​worthy.
Got an earful about how this place is a chop shop, pieces stolen bikes together and sells them for cheap. Turns out my bike had more issues than I thought (and would have been able to find on my own) making it incredibly unsafe to ride.
Apparently people have seen their stolen bikes/​parts here for sale. Now I’m paranoid that I’m riding a hot bike.
Next time I’ll be less cheap-​ass and go to a reputable bike shop.

I like Don Rafa’s
They always have new bikes coming and going.
They lady working there is really nice sweet and always helpful.
The head guy is a little rough around the edges :-) he is always yelling prices and yelling at people. I have seen him move customers out of his way when he was tired of helping them.
I know it must be rough dealing with tons of people and their crappy bikes but a little lovin goes a long wayyy
I think its just his demeanor so I’ll give them 3 instead 4 stars. I do recommend people check the place out.
just beware of the big guy.

This is one sketchy-​ass shop that once charged me too much money for repairing a flat and then I found out the wheel was put back on incorrectly.
Go to Box Dog Bikes, or Valencia Cyclery. Hell, even go to the Bike Kitchen, but just not Don Rafa’s.

Heads up, frugal bikers! This place is awesome and the prices cannot be beat.
I got my derailer replaced for $ 40. They would’ve had it ready for me in 30 mins, but i had to head to Dolores Park to catch sunset. They told me to come get it on Monday, until 6:00 PM.
When i showed up at 5:30 they were already closed! I returned the following day (in the rain!) to get it, all prepared to be pissy but then the warm smile and sweet service melted away my anger. «So sorry about that,» was all she had to say.
There’s something about a married couple who run a bike shop together; a true mom n’ pop after my heart. So, i paid them (half of what Valencia Cyclery would’ve charged) and rode on my merry way.

With many moving motorists, potholes and uneven pavements, riding a bike in any metropolitan citites .i.e. San Francisco can be a challenge and ineptly be dangerous.
My day-​off and enjoying the beautiful Friday weather, I’ve decided to slap on my «extra-​tight» tights and ride my four-​digit road bike around the city. As I was riding my bike along South Van Ness Ave, I ran over a sharp object. Thus puncturing a hole on my thin rear-​tire.
Luckily, there is a bike store on 16^th St. and South Van Ness Ave. The bike store, which is operated by a friendly mom and pop, does only repairs and sells accessories. On the other hand, they do sell used bikes and they do have a ton of them too for entry-​level riders. You’re definitely not going to find dazzling and advanced bikes from Lance Armstrong or Levi Leipheimer from this place.
The mom complimented on my high-​end road bike and did all the necessary repairs on my baby. She replaced the inner-​tube on my rear tire and made sure the rear tire is strong enough to support my fat ass. The whole process took only ten minutes and cost $ 10.00. I also gave her $ 3.00 for tips.
Cash only for this place.
«And that was my burrito money too!»

There are a half dozen bike shops in this general area /​the Mission, and they all have good points and bad.
Go here if:
You know how to correctly price /​evaluate used bikes and parts and are looking for something very cheap.
You have a friend you can bring who knows how to correctly price /​evaluate used bikes and parts.
You like treasure hunting.
Price is the most important thing to you, bar none.
Don’t go here if:
You don’t know how to evaluate if used bikes and parts something are a great bargain or falling apart pieces of megamart junk
You need repairs
I’ve never decided if the store prices their used bikes so oddly because they don’t care (selling grey-​market and auction-​sourced used bikes) or if they don’t know how to correctly evaluate the bikes, but their prices are all over the map. They have a HUGE selection of used bikes, and a tiny selection of new, or like-​new bikes. Also a selection of parts and accessories in the back that you have to ask about specifically. Prices are negotiable, but they don’t honor Bicycle Coalition discount cards.
They’re definitely friendly, and not at all pretentious.
I would never recommend them for repairs, because if price is the only thing that matters to you in bike repairs, you should learn how to do them yourself.

I like Don Rafa’s.
Looks to be a husband & wife owned and operated store, which is cool. The wife is very nice and helps you with whatever you need.
— You can test ride bikes. Prices are usually fair (and if they’re not they can be made more fair with a little haggling haha).
Some reviews said they have stolen bikes there, but my response to that is «what used bike place DOESN’T have something stolen in the pile?»
So go check ‘em out!
Small place but lots of bikes & very nice people.

Don Rafa got the best prices in the city… well really i don’t know about the whole city, but is sure way cheaper then Valencia Cyclery…
Don Rafa:
tube $ 4
tire $ 10 (used)
realignment $ 25
rim (new) $ 65
and if you need to leave your bike at the shop for a bit while is being fix Don Rafa will let you borrow one of his many bikes so you can get around. (may not apply to douchbags)

Let, me see if I understand you Roxane S. You think the bicycles are stolen based on nothing and yet you bought one anyway to perpetuate bike theft.
That’s idiotic on your part. Fact.
The prices here are fair and they have a good selection for such a small shop.

I recently bought a very nice old Cannondale here. I’ve always wanted a Canonndale. I am very, very happy with this purchase.
For no reason that I could tell, Don gave me the bike at the flat price (that is, without tax). He let me switch the pedals, and he took off the lame-​o reflector bracket underneath the stem, just as I asked. According to Don’s daughter (who’s very friendly, and held the bike for me over night), Don speaks «very, very little» English, so expect to speak to her rather than the owner.
The bikes here run a wide spectrum: piece-​o-​crap Huffys, pieced together fixies, commuters, fixed-​up old rides like what I bought, and nicer/​newer stuff. If you’re looking for a used bike, this is a good place to start.