Jason Annecone has been providing guided bike tours of San Francisco for several years through his San Francyclo business. Recently, he opened his first retail store on the edge of the Richmond District at Arguello and Golden Gate Avenue.
I stopped by last Sunday to check out the new shop, which was a long time opening. Jason had intended to open last fall, but when he embarked on a remodel of the space, he found the building in need of extensive repairs.
“It needed a whole new foundation,” he said.
Undeterred, San Francyclo finally opened its doors just after the new year. Jason was at work adjusting someone’s road bike when I stopped by. His parents were also in the shop – Mom sitting at the counter chatting with customers and Dad downstairs in the back room, hand-painting signs and talking up the used bikes that are for sale.
The shop has a good selection of accessories including locks, racks, headwear and some higher priced items, along with a selection of new and used bikes for sale.
“On nice days, rentals have been pretty steady,” Jason said as he tinkered on a customer’s bike. The shop is located just three blocks from Golden Gate Park.
Despite the Richmond District’s proximity to the Presidio and Golden Gate Park, San Francyclo is one of only a few bike shops in the neighborhood, and and arguably the first to offer expert repairs to discerning cyclists. Riders will appreciate the handy air pump located on the outside of the shop.
In addition to the repairs and tuneups, San Francyclo also provides rebuild and custom design services.
Greeting you at the door is Mojo, Jason’s pussycat of a dog. I’m sure he’s been enjoying his new status as sidewalk dog, soaking up the winter rays and ample pets from customers.
For now, it’s just Jason (and his parents!) manning the shop, but that may need to change. San Francyclo will be featured as an Editor’s Pick in the April issue of Sunset Magazine, after Jason took one of their riders on a bike tour of the city.
“I think I’ll have to hire someone after that story comes out,” Jason said.
San Francyclo is located at 746 Arguello, at the corner of Golden Gate. The shop is open Mondays and Tuesdays from 1pm – 6pm, Wed – Fri from 10am – 6pm, Saturdays from 9am – 6pm, and Sundays from 9am – 5pm. You can also follow San Francyclo on Facebook or Twitter.
Sarah B.
Yay!! Congratulations!
Good luck to Jason and Mojo (he really is a pussy cat in dog’s body). Went in there not too long after it opened, spoke with Jason a little, he was still figuring out stock. Nice guy. I will definitely be visiting this great new addition to the hood.
Isn’t that where the film processing biz was a while ago? Neat! just a few blocks from me, I’ll have to check it out.
@Gary – Yes, exactly. After that shop closed, it was empty for awhile and there was a sign up about a new frozen yogurt/ice cream place but it never came to be. Guess it was just waiting for San Francyclo to come around 🙂
Sarah B.
Finally! I do not know of any other bike repair shops in the Richmond. I’ll swing by this weekend to get my bike tuned up. Thanks for the article!
Doesn’t the place on Fulton and 6th or 7th do bike repair?
Awesome! Welcome to the neighborhood Jason. We were in desperate need of a bike shop.
Very nice! I’ve seen them while riding by on Arguello.
Don’t forget to stop at Velo Rouge cafe a few doors South.
Welcome to the neighborhood!
Awesome. There’s been a dearth of bike shops in the Richmond (though this isn’t too far from the several on Stanyan by the park- the outer Richmond could use one).
GG Park Skate and Bike on Fulton & 6th is also solid, especially if you want an old school, quick-and-dirty repair.
I’ll put in a shout-out to the Yellow Bike Project (http://www.sfyellowbike.org/) who have a fundraiser party on Saturday at the Rickshaw Stop at 155 Fell. They mean to make a bike repair co-op where you can come to use tools, exchange used parts & the like, and as I understand it they’re looking for a location in the Richmond.
Yeeeeah buddy! Congrats Jay! Been a long time coming brother!
SLICK! So stoked for you Jason, can’t wait to come up and check it out… been a long, crazy road from those days back in I.V. but it’s looking like all the time, effort and hard work is paying off… CONGRATS JAY!!!
I am pleased to say that in addition to fantastic customer service they are now selling ice cream in order to appease all of us who were original rooting for an ice cream store to go up in this space.
I highly recommend the Three Twins Lemon Cookie.
They are a very welcome addition to the neighborhood.
We are as proud of Jason as we were when he graduated UC Santa Barbara. It’s good to see him doing so well at something he enjoys so much.