I think it's a shame that you feel that way. The SF bike shops vary, but my experience with places like Valencia Cyclery and Mission Bikes has been the opposite

I think it's a shame that you feel that way. The SF bike shops vary, but my experience with places like Valencia Cyclery and Mission Bikes has been the opposite. And heck SF has the excellent bike kitchen (http://bikekitchen.org http://bikekitchen.org) which is probably the friendliest place for bike newbies on earth. You can get a working bike for $0 with a little time and effort.