Cognition Cyclery

A high end shop that is not staffed by elitist punks is pretty hard to find these days, and they seem to be disappearing with the move towards «velo cafes» where people sit around in their finest Rapha kits and sip fancy coffee from unreasonably small cups, while playing with their ironic mustaches.
Cognition, while most assuredly catering (but not limited) to the high end, manages to keep staff egos in check and (in my limited exposure) helps everyone with the same level of attention and detail regardless of what they’re riding. My interaction with them has been limited to two visits, both with very specific items in mind, and in both cases they had the items on the shelf. The most recent visit was what really made me want to review this shop. After seeing some press about the new Specialized Power saddle, I wanted to get my hands on one and see if it would work for me, and Cognition had the full range in stock. It should be noted that this saddle would be going on my cheap, ugly commute bike, and not some fancy road-​devouring carbon wonder machine. When I entered the shop, I did an initial look-​around, and was quickly asked if I was looking for anything in particular. When I said that I was looking for this specific saddle, I was directed to the rack where the saddles were stocked, and told where it would be on the rack. I found the saddle, and selected the one that I thought was my size (going from one Spec saddle to another, I figured the sizing would be the same). After a bit, Vanessa came to check on me, and then proceeded to explain the seating differences I would encounter compared to my previous saddle, and how to properly size a saddle (specifically where the measurements were taken, and how that impacted the fit). She then brought out a sit-​bone measuring device, and measured me. It turned out that I would be ok on the saddle that I selected based solely on the measurements, but that I could possibly be more comfortable on the next size up. We discussed the differences in the range ($ 100-​$ 200 price range, plus different padding levels), a few more issues I was having with my existing saddle, and she offered up several suggestions on setup of the new saddle. Needless to say, I purchased the saddle, and was even able to borrow a wrench to change saddles in the store so I wouldn’t have to ride my old broken down and painful saddle home.
Experiences like this are, unfortunately, a rarity in this industry, and the confidence, competence, and impressive depth of knowledge shown by the Cognition crew is something that every bike shop should strive for. The only reason that this is not a 5-​star review is because Cognition is a Specialized dealer, and while I like much of what Specialized produces in soft goods, I prefer a little more variety. Overall, this is a great shop, and if you are in the area, they are well worth a visit, even if it is just to drool all over the carbon wonder bikes sprinkled around the store.

I don’t know the names of the guys who work there but they all seem super helpful. After trying it for the first time 2 years ago I never went to a different shop to fix my bikes. At least in my case their work never took more than 24 hours and they promptly call you when it’s done. Often they can fix it right on the spot. I wouldn’t be surprised if they will be the first shop in the area to merchandise European helmets. Don’t even wait till your bike breaks just go and hang out in that cool shop, buy something or learn how to pump the tires!

These guys are true professionals. I worked with Taylor to purchase a bike and he went out of his way to make sure I was happy with every aspect of my purchase. I couldn’t be happier that I purchased through Cognition.

The guys there are always willing to lend a helping hand! A screw on the gears was no longer holding because the hole was stripped, so they quickly found a larger screw that fit perfectly and my gears were easily fixed that way. I’ve also gotten inner tubes here and they’re awesome. Always satisfied with their friendliness and quick service!

We just bought two bikes from them. I would give them 5 stars. Go find Vanessa if you are planning to buy a bike. She is so helpful and spend so much time to make sure we are happy with our bikes. We have to bring our kids with us and they are very kid friendly. They also arranged to drop off the bikes for us, anyway, thank you so much. All the associates are fun and welcoming, Tor arranged to let me try a few different bikes, until Vanessa helped me find my dream bike. We will be back for sure. Just go see them, you won’t regret

I’ve been here a few times to buy quick replacement/​maintenance parts and get service from their shop. They’ve always helped me on the spot without any wait time. I’ve also bought a number of Specialized accessories (they’re mostly a Specialized store) including a couple helmets here, good stock of items. I don’t currently ride a Specialized bike, but if I ever buy a new bike, the people here would make me consider buying a Specialized from them.

The nicest customer service. We bought a specialized bike there and they are so knowledgable and great.
Just went back and they hanged a flat in 5 minutes!
We will be back!

This bike shop is awesome! They are knowledgeable, friendly and there’s no pressure. Their prices are good and usually lower than Mike’s Bikes and other shops. Their service guys are really quick and do it right the first time! They are located near where I work but I wish they had a shop closer to my home…

Very helpful staff. Was able to pump up my bike tires for free and got a pair of free tire valve caps, even though I didn’t purchase anything.

Love the service dept. They fixed double flat tires in record time. Nice guys. Super easy. Saved me an hour of fighting tubes. Thanks!

My 1991 era road bike had a rear hub failure earlier this year. This is a part no one stocks anymore! However, one of their bike techs has oin his personal stock of bike parts at home. He let me buy it from him and he installed it. Whole thing was very reasonably priced and he did a great job. You can’t find that kind of service just anywhere. Highly recommend their service department.

Hollister and Edgar,
You guys are rockstars, the best service of any bike shop we’ve ever dealt with in all of CA!!! I recommend if your shopping where to buy a bike near around the peninsula or southbay, there is no other choice! They are a lifetime bike shop :)

Edgar and David are awesome. Installed new shifters for me 3 days faster than expected so that we could have the bike for the holiday weekend.
Great guys and great service!

Cognition what can I say. I love this shop. Always helpful, positive and happy people. I rented a Specialized Roubaix from them. That bike is awesome. I had no problems with it whatsoever on the ride. I road from Mountain View to San Francisco. The bike rode like a champ. It’s a great bike for long-​distance rides. It was a pleasure to take it out. Thanks Cognition and staff keep up the good work.

I recently rented a bike for my girlfriend so she could try mountain biking with me and it was a great experience! We were greeted by Mitchell who assisted us in choosing the right bike for the ride we had planned. Mitchell was friendly and knowledgeable, he had ridden John Nicholas trail before and gave us some great tips to make our ride more enjoyable. He did a great job fitting my girlfriend to the bike and she had no complaints whatsoever during the ride! The bike we rented made me want to get myself a new bike!
The shop itself is pretty cool too, lots of bikes to fit almost anyone’s budget as well as any accessories and components you might need. The showroom floor was very modern and organized too. This shop is one of the best around, thank you Mitch and the Cognition crew I’ll definitely be back!

105 STARS!
I live in the city and work in Mountain View. My tire popped a block from the Caltrain on my way home, so I thought I was SOL.
I found Cognition on Unilocal and Vanessa assured me that if I got there before they closed, they would help me.
Sure enough, I got there 30 minutes before close and Mitchell replaced my tire in 5 minutes for $ 17. That’s right! 5 minutes. $ 17.
I couldn’t be happier with my experience. Thank you Cognition Team!!! You saved my night!

Cognition use to be the bike shop I’d go to first and recommend to everyone. However, I’ve been having the worst time trying to get something I bought from them months (MONTHS!!!) ago (March 2015, to be exact).
Basically, I saw a deal for a wheel set with a PowerTap power meter on sale at Performance Bicycle. So I went to Cognition and asked what kind of a deal they could do for me. They said they could match the price but give me a better base wheel. A few weeks later I had the rear wheel + power meter, but 4+ months later there’s still NO sign of the front wheel. What makes it worse is that I get conflicting information every time I talk to an employee about it and the order is not recorded in their system, so half the employees don’t even know what I’m talking about.
In retrospect, I should have just gotten the deal from Performance Bicycle: for the same cost I’d have gotten both wheels at the same time and saved a lot of frustration.
The worst part is, I no longer feel like I can recommend Cognition, which I’ve ALWAYS done in the past. I’ve been the source of a lot of their business, and unfortunately, after this ordeal, I don’t even think they’ll be getting my business very much anymore.

I wandered into Cognition as a total beginner — I’ve never owned a bike before, but wanted to get a commuter bike for work.
Ben helped me pick a bike, they adjusted the seat and let me ride up and down Castro to test it out :) After picking the bike, Roneet spent almost an hour with me patiently talking through all my (likely very basic) questions. Both Ben and Roneet were awesome. I highly recommend Cognition for both their selection and for the level of personal service the staff provides. The mechanics also installed my additional purchases on my bike right then and there, with some playful banter (and also helpful advice).
Highly recommend. Also, 15% off for Googlers, if any Googlers might need an additional reason to stop by :)

I live in Santa Clara area and I do have a LBS which is about three blocks away from my home where I purchased my 2013 Roubaix from. Initially, I wanted to buy from that shop again but after two unanswered emails about their availability of S-​Works, I’ve decided to look elsewhere, then I found Cognition Cyclery and decided to pay them a visit.
When I entered the shop, my initial impression was the well organized and stocked bikes inside. I was quickly greeted by Ben Jones, the sales manager of the shop. He has been attentive, informative, and never pushy when he was going through the details of the bikes that I was interested. He even offered test ride but I had to leave soon that day so I didn’t take up his offer.
I returned the next weekend and again, greeted by Ben again. This time, I have tested the bikes (S Works Venge and Tarmacs). Ben has always patient, never sales preached me but explained all the pros and cons of both bikes. I guess his mentality is, I’m the ultimate rider and I should make the final call. About an hour of test rides, I left and wanted to do a little bit more research on my own before making a commitment.
Another week later, I returned and met Ben. This time, I made the purchase and had some small requests that Ben was happily obliged. At the same time, I made an appointment for BG Fit with Vanessa the next week. I picked up my newly built S-​Works Tarmac Di2 disc and had Vanessa to do the custom fit for me a week later. She was extremely patient, paid close attention to details, and cheerful. I’ve been fitted in other shops in the past but never had such a positive experience. She was awesome!
Post sales experience: I noticed that there were some rattling noise coming from the front wheel area and took it back to the shop the next week. Holli was the mechanic who helped me to address my concern. He was, again, great. He checked my bike and explained where the noise came from and assured me it’s normal for a brand new disc bike. I know how to ride a bike but don’t have extensive knowledge about the technical background. Holli talked to me super patiently.
Final words: I have been a super duper happy customer at this new bike shop. Ben has always replied to my emails but a small suggestion to Ben though, a bit more detailed reply will be nice rather than super short answer. :-) (but of course, if that’s his style then I’m fine with that). I didn’t get much discount from buying from this shop nor I put in a lot of efforts to negotiate the price either. I’m a believer that you do get what you pay for, and my statement still holds today. For minor purchases, I might still go to my LBS in Santa Clara since it’s so close to my house, but major purchases or mechanical work, Cognition will be my go-​to shop from now on. If you’re a new customer, give them a try and you won’t be disappointed.
— James
Update as of May 9^th, 2015: I’ve been back to the shop for a couple of times, for some minor adjustments. Hollister was the mechanic who helped me in both occasion. He was very pleasant, attentive, and responsive all the time. I’m very grateful that he fixed my problems quickly in short notices. Again, this kind of high service level is something that I’ve never seen in my LBS in Santa Clara. I have no intention of getting my bike serviced anywhere else but here. Thanks Hollister, you’ve made my cycling experience even more enjoyable.

$ 16 for a new shifter cable and dérailleur adjustment ain’t too shabby. I pay more than that for a meal at some places.
The last time I came in shopping for a Roubaix, the associate showed me a couple including a top of the line 2-​year old floor model for 30% off, which was a pretty slick deal. They carry a good selection of Specialized bikes ranging from entry-​level to high-​end. Prices are reasonable considering you’re paying the Specialized premium for quality.
Service is always friendly and knowledgeable. They don’t get paid on commission, and there are no pushy sales tactics.
The only reason I ended up not buying my bike here is because my brother worked at a bike shop in LA and got me a sweet deal. But for service, this is definitely my go-​to place.
So if you’re in the market for a new Specialized, come by and check out the hardware, take a test ride and ask about current deals!