The ReCyclery

The guy (Rod Morris) who owns and runs the shop had me as an employee and threatened me that if I did not write a positive review of his shop that I would be fired. So I did and that is why he got a positive review from me.
The owner is a real piece of work and he treats his employees and customers like crap and several employees have already tried to get even with him for the bad way he has treated them by arranging to have him beat up and mugged and I happened to be there one time when it happened and I was beaten up too! I ended up losing over $ 300 worth of stuff that night and the owner of the business would not even reimburse me or even apologize to me for me getting beat up because of his screw ups with past employees.
He over charges for his bikes like they are brand new bikes and he also does not get work on bikes done on time like he promises, so I would suggest you stay away from this guy and his shop or you will get stung like I have for several times he has dealt with me
This guy does not deserve to even be in business and I am sure he will not be in his new shop in San Jose on Campbell Ave for long because he is going broke and has no business and he even owes me $ 100 for past work I did for him and he has owed it to me for the past couple months and I am sure he will never repay me for this debt he owes me.
I even know of other people that he owes over 600 dollars to and he has not repaid them yet! So like I said he is a real piece of work and I hope this rating does not get taken down because it is the total truth about this business and I know this business will not last over the winter months unless he changes his ways of practice

Huge selection of refurbished bikes at fair prices. Rod, the owner is very knowledgeable. After listening to what I planned to use my bike for, he set me up with the perfect bike for me. Complete with a matching basket. I did a quick price comparison and I found that m slightly used bike was less than half the price of brand new. I very highly recommend The ReCyclery

I ordered a new bike over the internet, but couldn’t finish the final assembly myself. The disk brakes were giving me trouble. I took it to Rod, who quickly identified the problem — a manufacturer error — and adjusted the brakes. He also gave the bike a tune-​up and safety inspection, all at a really good price. Plus, he wouldn’t let me leave until the bike was 100% comfortable for me.

We read the reviews and decided to give this guy a chance regardless of what we read. He is a bit scattered and shy but this guy runs his business honestly. He fitted my bike with two new tires and gave us an excellent price. This place is a diamond in the rough. I can see why he has poor reviews, his communication skills need improving but don’t we all have something we are trying to improve. Granted he is not the typical bike loving hipster we all run into when we need a bike repair but you won’t be overcharged. I have two new dirt bike tires with sleeves and tubes for under $ 70.00. Including labor.
We will go to him again. Give this guy a chance, you will save money.

We wanted to get a bigger bike for our 9 year old who only recently learned to ride. Rod was able to size an appropriate BMX bike for him and offer us a decent price for a smaller trade in. We went home for a few hours and then came back to a freshly pedaled, braked and tuned bike that Rod would not let leave until it was safe and right for my son, I like the idea of supporting Campbell businesses and recycling!

I went to this recycled/​used bike store thinking of trading in my 2 folding bikes. But a worker (or I believe the owner) with a beard was extremely unprofessional. He asked me my price range, thinking it’s a used bike store, I just said about $ 100 to $ 150 and he just said, «You are unrealistic. my bikes here are $ 350 and above. I’m not a charity.» Huh?! … Your selling used and recycled bikes. He should at least have shown me a decent bike and not like the bikes he has displayed outside. If I were you don’t go to this store and the guy who «helped» me (06/​07/​2015) learn how to be a professional salesman.

Rod is a good guy with lots of bike knowledge. He has a pretty good trade for store credit deal. The fact that he does this is pretty cool because no other shop in the area would do this.
I wanted to shorten the stem on my mountain bike but did not want to spend the big retail shop price. Rod and I came to an agreement that worked for the both of us. Got some used wider handle bars and a shorter stem. No other shop would ever give me such a fair deal!

This is a review for Rod’s bike servicing, not for the purchase of a new or used bike. I brought my road bike to Rod for a tune-​up, and he promised to have it done the next day. The next day rolled around and sure enough, he called in the evening and my bike was ready to go.
I’m no expert, but everything feels like it’s brand new. The bike came out of Rod’s shop looking great (he admitted that the tune up took less time than he expected, so he spent a few extra minutes polishing it).
Going into the shop, a gear shifter was a bit stuck, and the rear breaks were slightly off. Coming out, both of these issues are completely fixed (this is the primary reason I brought the bike in).
Overall, very happy with the work Rod did, and it was nice that he gave me the «winter price» in late March. Could have easily spent twice as much for the same work at a shop in SJ. Will return!

I had a fantastic experience with Rod and Jeff. Long story short, I walked away with a beautifully restored 20″ Taffy (made by Giant) for my daughter who was ready to move up from her 16.
It seems to me that *many* people have unmet expectations about used bike shops. When you hear «used bikes» you might think you can walk in, choose a bike, slap down $ 40, and walk away with a used bike. But that’s a garage sale, not the Recyclery.
The Recyclery is a labor of love. These guys love bikes. They take pride in their refurbished bikes. They have many hundreds of bikes crammed into their warehouse, pedals removed, handlebars turned parallel. You choose a bike you like, they straighten the handlebar, put on some used pedals, and test the brakes. And this takes time. If you are a hurried person, you may not have a good experience. If you decide to buy it, they will spend an hour tuning and cleaning the bike. (You can wait, but I opted to pick up the bicycle the next day.) They will put on new pedals and any other components which need to be replaced. Jeff even pulled off all the pads and spent five minutes cleaning them such that it felt like walking away with a brand new bicycle. Remember, this is a labor of love. They sell refurbished bikes. This is not a garage sale.
If you want a used Walmart bike for $ 20, this is not the place. If you want a nicely restored, high quality, used bicycle. This is definitely the place to go. With this sort of business model, the best deals will be for high-​end bikes, but I was happy with the moderate discount off retail for kid’s bikes.
The staff were pleasant, helpful, and informative. I asked many questions without any feelings of inferiority. One of my daughters was fascinated by the tools, and Jeff (all the while working) patiently and humorously responded to her inquiries. Another daughter caused a domino effect with four bicycles and Rod was kind and reassuring to her. These guys were great with my girls.
I had a fantastic experience. No complaints.

No stars at all! Hard to find location, beat up bikes that are well overpriced! If youre just looking, he wont bother to show you anything! After I asked for a price of a beat up trek bike with lots of scratches and terrible looking bike, priced me $ 380. I immediately walked away! Stay away and go to a local bike shop.

I got an amazing and very unique used Beach Cruiser from Rod at The Re-​Cycle –Ry. They set it up for me to test ride, as they did every bike I wanted to consider. They were fast, very reasonably priced and serviced the bike before we left. highly recommend them. Deborah R.

We’ve bought three bikes and had one other one fixed here. Definitely the place to go for bikes. Read the other reviews to prepare yourself for the salespeople, but you have to be pretty thin-​skinned to let it bother you. If you want a lot of choices and good prices then come here. We drive from San Mateo and it’s worth the drive. Give yourself lots of time, because they can take forever to get the bike ready. And bring cash.

Unfortunately was greeted by Rod and was reemed because I didnt know what size wheel I was looking for. Everything he said was valid for me because I should have had all the information before asking for pricing.
Preface– I have been mountain biking since I was a little kid. Been working on and fixing my bike since I was a little kid. I dont know the sizes off the top of my head. Was looking for a rear rim to replace on my mountain bike and was curious about pricing. But he didn’t have to be a dick about it and grandstand on top of a trailer and berate me in front of everyone. The guy is either off his meds or needs to be on a larger dosage. Bi-​polar is the only way I can describe the experience with Rod. His own employees were calling him an a$$hole after his diatribe and he left for a smoke break. Stay clear of this place… Rod should have nothing to do with sales and should get his nose broken if he meets any of the other customers that have had this same experience. F this place!

Rod (owner) has a passion for bikes. He is a zero nonsense kind of person and will always speak his mind.
The shop itself is laid back and a spiderweb of bikes, but if you have some time on your hands you should definitely check it out. Bring friends, they’re big on multi bike discounts.
I was lucky enough to score a rare Peugeot bike with everything I wanted on it. I also picked up a bad ass Teal Electra Cruiser for my girlfriend. Though, I will be back to buy this amazing Black Electra Cruiser Rod has on his Lot.

Overall — a positive experience.
Yes, the place looks dirty and unorganized when you arrive. Yes, the owner’s candid attitude can seem a little rude.
But then, think about the place. The owner knows about bikes and loves bikes. He isn’t a salesman — he’s not super polite and he’s not going to high-​pressure you into a sale. He’s knowledgeable about bikes, and his style is basically no-​nonsense and hands-​off. He’ll pretty much let you find the bike you want on your own. (He’ll point to a pile of bikes based on what you’re looking for and tell you to test ride them and come find him when you’ve narrowed down what you like). If you’re into the details, do some research before you arrive, or on your phone while you’re there.
Bikes ranged from cheap end ($ 200) to high-​end ($ 1000+). This place doesn’t have thrift-​store cheap bikes, but it has bikes in good condition (they fix them up and tune them on-​site). If you have a budget, you can get a better quality used bike here vs. buying a lower quality new bike somewhere else. The prices looked fair with what I saw on craigslist and other used bike sites. I also checked both the bikes we bought and neither had been registered as stolen. You can also sell or trade in your old bike.
He also offered complimentary ongoing bike maintenance for next 5 years — which is great!
Also — cash only! There’s a Chase bank nearby if you want to decide & then withdraw cash. (I think this is fair — credit card fees can eat up to 5% of the sale for small businesses and an even larger amount on margin).

If I could give this place negative stars I would! DO NOT go to this place if you value your time and sanity. The owner at first was somewhat friendly, however he was making me gag with his cigarette he refused to put out while helping me. I had my bike seat and post stolen and was looking for a replacement.
If I had seen Unilocal I wouldn’t have gone but obviously I didn’t check in advance and went. I also went back home o grab my bike to ensure the post would be the right size. When I came back he had me go look through some old file cabinet fill of stems to pick one. They were all scuffed up and looked like something that I would never consider putting on my bike and he wanted $ 35 for some beat up piece of crap seat post.
He tried to tell me that style wasn’t made anymore and they are hard to find, but I still wasn’t convinced. I turned down the sale and decided to go to performance bikes in Campbell instead.
As my fiancé and I walked off he was upset and talking loudly enough that we heard him from 20 feet away (and further as we got closer to our car) talking about how his time is worth something. His store was crammed tight with stuff and I had to squeeze through it all to look at what he had… Excuse me but what about my time, besides I had to look through the inventory not him.
He didn’t try very hard to sell me on the benefits of the various products other than to say they were hard to find. If I had to guess why, it’s probably because places like his hoard them all and then try to sell them to uneducated consumers for inflated prices.
I will never return to this place and I will never recommend this place, indeed I will actively advocate that NO ONE should ever waste their time with this rude, unfriendly, unhelpful establishment. By the way my seat post I got brand new was cheaper than his used and was much nicer. It’s not worth it. I know the name makes you feel like you are doing something good, but don’t be fooled by the façade.

I should have read the Unilocal reviews before wasting my time at Recyclery. Initially, my impression was good. I met one of the workers and he showed me around some bikes, showed me their huge inventory of bikes that needed to be fixed before selling, and also he also helped me test ride one of the bikes. I forget his name, but he was a very nice guy.
Then, as I was looking at the hybrids, Rod comes over and checks on me. I asked him the price of one of the bikes, he said 450. I said. do you have anything lower? Then he went on a rant, seriously, a freakin rant for a good 5 minutes about how great his prices are versus the cost if they were new, blah, and blah. This one goes for 800 new, this one is 1500 new, etc etc. I wouldn’t mind if he was trying to be informative, but he was downright a RUDE jerk. Like the other customer here, he told me to go to walmart and I can buy a piece of junk if I’m not willing to spend 400 for one of his bikes. My impression is he is very stuck up about his bikes and has very poor customer service. Not everyone wants a high end bike, or can pay for it, and he does not seem to want to accommodate that.

Every negative thing everyone else has said I’d wager is true.
When will I learn to check Unilocal first before wasting my time?!

Between my two girls and I, we’ve probably gone through 6 bikes I’m the past few years. I always buy used, because why waste our earth’s resources and money on something that could possibly be stolen? If it’s not perfect, we just add a coat of paint or a couple components to customize it right. So this Christmas, it was time for my little one to upgrade to a 20″. Looking on Craigslist, I found an ad for this place. Bonus, I’ve been cleaning up the garage and had a trunk-​full of junk to trade-​in.
Rod, the owner, is the only guy doing sales, so if there are two other customers. Be patient. I didn’t see what I was looking for, but he has about a thousand bikes literally piled up on his storage space. So, as he juggled between me and the other customers, his staff pulled out several options for me to choose from. Two hours later (partially because of my pickiness and indecision and also time to do a safety check and clean it up), $ 100 and a trunk-​full of junk off my hands, now I have a shiny new/​used Christmas present for my daughter. Hope she likes it!

First of all, I rarely write reviews on Unilocal.But in dealing with the owner on two separate occasions now, I decided to post my 1 star review. If there was a no star review, this place would get that.
The first time I visited this place I was looking for a trade-​in deal for a bike for my son. All went well in the beginning, in fact in my mind I was wondering where all the bad reviews on Unilocal had come from. I quickly realized why. When he tried to sell us a helmet and lock to go with the bike and we told him we weren’t interested, he suddenly turned into an asshole, questioning the safety of «cheaper, inferior helmets» that we might go and buy. Really dude? As the consumer, I have the right to refuse your offer on the over-​priced helmet and lock you want to sell me and I’m not planning on putting my kid’s safety at risk by buying a reputable brand somewhere else. He also treated the help like shit and ridiculed them in front of me.
Still, he did sell us a good bike, so I was willing to go back a second time…
The second visit quickly went downhill when I took in two really nice bikes and wanted to trade them in for a low end fixie. I wasn’t looking for a great deal, just wanted a fair trade on two bikes for a used bike. He tried selling me a $ 1500 bike and when I told him I wasn’t looking for fancy, he yelled «So you’re not looking to spend ANY money?!» Well, shit, that’s what a trade is dude. I was willing to part with some cash on top of two bikes worth in excess of $ 800 for a lesser value bike. After all, as he informed me «I can’t pay rent with bikes». He was already in a huff by this point telling me he didn’t have any «low end» fixies and stormed off.
I will say that the guy who works beside him is a nice guy and very helpful. But the owner? Complete jerk who doesn’t deserve the positive Unilocal review he actually asked me to write during my first visit. I will never return.