The recently opened Sports Basement store at 2727 Milvia Street is, by far, the largest sporting goods store in Berkeley. At the bottom of the rate poster on the wall in the bicycle department, it says that flat tire repairs are free. I asked someone working in the department if there were any strings attached to this offer. He said No. Sports Basement will repair a flat tire on any bicycle at no charge, regardless of where you bought your bicycle. You can’t beat that price! You don’t have to remove the wheel first. Just roll your bicycle into the store and take it to the bike department. Their prices for other bicycle repairs seem very reasonable to me. Replacing a broken spoke is $15. I recently paid $30 to have a broken spoke replaced on my bicycle.
Sports Basement is worth a visit, even if you don’t own a bicycle. It is located in the old Berkeley Iceland building. Back in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s; Berkeley Iceland was a nationally famous ice skating rink. Important competitions were held there. The Ice Capades used to perform there. Many Olympic gold medal ice skaters performed there, including Brian Boitano and Kristie Yamaguchi. On Iceland’s opening night in 1940, 3-time Olympic gold medalist and movie star Sonja Henie skated at Iceland. The place started losing money in the 1980s. The building needed major repairs and a new refrigeration system, so it closed in 2007. Sports Basement put millions into restoring the building, and it shows. This place is a great addition to the neighborhood. The city of Berkeley apparently thinks so too. They installed parking meters in front of the store just before it opened. That part of Milvia Street never had meters before. I doubt the city will make any money off the new meters. Sports Basement has a large free parking lot.