Berkeley Iceland Reviews

Great shopping experience! Great sales going on right now.

Amazing local business. I much prefer going to Sports Basement over REI because the membership is better (10% off everything, certain special events/sales where it's 20% AND donations to a local organization of your choice with each purchase), there's better selection, and customer service is better. I appreciate everything sports basement does for the community.

Everything for sport/camping/bike is here. Note: they might make you pay if you ask advice on how to fix your bike

Prices are fair, I've enjoyed the service, there's parking and it's never over crowded. Totally worth checking out!

A great old school renovated with a huge selection of gear! Found a couple of really good prices on sale items too.

Great, helpful, friendly staff and a fantastic selection of products!

What a wonderful space. This building was a ice skating rink in its previous life and it s surprisingly huge when you first walk in. I found this place more interesting than a Dick s and less hip-ish than an REI. There were comfortable home furniture scattered around for just lounging around. Selections were good and the salesperson who helped me with my shoe selection was great.

Cool vibe. Quirky sporting goods store with friendly, helpful staff and strong ties to the community. A sports enthusiast paradise.

This has become my fave sporting goods store. It is not cheap but their service is good, they price-match, and you can find some good deals. Also the range of products they have is quite impressive. It's easy to spend time there just checking all the merchandise for your fave sports -- biking, skiing, camping, rock climbing, running...

Homey and welcoming feel. Good selection. Staff are very knowledgable and friendly.

Brian was great at setting up my daughter with a new pair skis.

Very helpful staff member Josh. Came in to buy one pair of running shoes and left purchasing three.

Great service and selection but BEWARE: HIGH CRIME RATE AREA. Our rental car was parked in their full parking lot and the windows were SMASHED and most of our luggage was stolen within 30 min of picking up skis in the store (between 3:30-4 pm Saturday afternoon). This really ruined our ski vacation plans. The Berkeley Police informed us that the crime rate is higher during the holiday season here and rental cars are often targeted. There was unfortunately no camera surveillance for the area of the back parking lot where we were parked and we did not think to take our luggage into the store.

UPDATE: spoke with the manager, Tom, and he was empathetic and offered to help us out with our equipment, which enabled us to make part of our trip. We are extremely grateful to Tom and his crew for going above and beyond for my family, and for this I would recommend 6 stars if I could.

My daughter and I took the bus for the first time last weekend. The experience was awesome. Everything went perfectly (ride there/back and the snacks). Brian and the team were very helpful. I wish we had discovered this option earlier.

Great experience renting snowboard gear. Colin is very knowledgeable, great guy!

One of the best return policies for a merchandise store. I swapped a pair of shoes that I didn't even buy there because they were too big. Amazing selection on all kinds outdoor gear.

Great new shop! Hope they incorporate more mountain bike parts and apparel.
Staff has been super friendly, and the hot cider on a cold night is super appreciated. I now bring my own flask.

a little pricey but lots of great stuff and knowledgeable staff

Sports Basement is awesome! I always wish I had more time when I m there. Staff are super friendly and knowledgeable. Customers are very well taken care of, and if you sign up for Basmenteers you get awesome discounts and can help provide support to a non-profit of your choice.

Rental at sports basement is just cool. Ownership is overrated! If you don't use it regularly don't stress storage of outdated equipment. Grab great equipment from cool people at a most reasonable price. It's good for you, and the environment. Just got off Matterhorn Peak, Thanks to S.B. for fine crampons and ice ax

Love SportsBasement! I felt very safe inside with all of their COVID-19 precautions and had a great experience. I was helped by the sweetest little Minnesota peach named Annie who helped me pick out some summer sandals. Will be back soon!

Awesome space (a former ice rink) and huge selection! The decor is really nice too. Staff was friendly and helpful (I was looking for slim fit hiking pants), but I ended up leaving empty-handed as I picked the one type of pants that they didn t have in the right color-size combination.

Love what I see. Warehouse store with earthy crunchy vibe. They have everything for outdoors and sports. Love the repurposed feel and pralines are fair. My new "go to!"

We appreciate the patient service and the high quality gear.

Love the store the service and the price!
Thank you

Love coming here, Billy runs a tight operation and will take care of you. They have a solid selection of jigs and swim baits to cover fishing local sport boats all the way up to the sierras. The crew here are friendly and always open to help you out in whatever way possible.

Shopped for ski boots. Shout out to Brian in winter gear who was super knowledgeable, helpful, and patient. I could not be happier with my boots or the experience.

It has the feel of an REI without the high prices. The staff are incredibly helpful but also aren't bothersome with their questions. What really sold me on this place though was that it never seemed to be a place where elitist outdoors-y types would congregate. They have these awesome signs posted near all of their gear that explains how to make the best selection based off of your preferences. Their gear ranges from beginner needs to more specific gear that you would need a specialty store to find.

I went looking for a new non-trunk style swim suit. I ended up getting a TYR jammer for $26, which is about $8 less than what you can find online. In their swim section they also had a huge variety of goggles, fins, gear bags, buoys, kick boards, caps, and any type of swim accessory you can think of.

Has a lot of good things for outdoor avtivities but i wish there was more soccer gear

Wish I could remember the name of the young woman who helped me. She was super--listened to what I was looking for, used my feedback to identify likely items, knew the store merchandise well enough to tour us through several departments. And she remained cheerful, upbeat, and unpressured through the whole adventure.

Went to SB yesterday for running shoes. Very contact free and safe entry with temps taken and several ways to we qsh hands at entrance. Found our shoe size and made a purchase. Store was not crowded. All in all a good experience for Covid nervous seniors! Bought a warm Carhardt shirt too.

This location is by far one of the better stocked and laid out Sports Basement locations I've been too. Add in knowledgeable and helpful staff and they get 5

Tom Purcell and Matt from the ski shop were super helpful in getting my Dynafit Beast bindings (fairly rare) remounted and new boot heel inserts installed right in time for me to take them up the mountain that weekend. Super helpful and responsive. Thanks guys!

1 stop shop. Had everything we needed for a trip to snow.

There is a growing trend around the country as America seems to be growing cruel and less caring, and that is fat shaming. It is something that happens regularly in businesses and especially clothing stores. You see, it seems that someone incredibly shallow in the upper management at this company and a handful of others that I have run into in the past have decided that the image of having fat people in their store doesn't put forward the kind of image they want so they do whatever they can to keep the "right kind of people" coming into their store in order to keep up their trendy image.

What am I supposed to think about myself when I goto a sporting goods store and they tell me through their selection that they do not want people like me as a customer? There was literally not one item of clothing or shoes in the entire store that I could buy. I am only a 4XL or maybe even a 3XL on a good day, and this store didn't carry a single item for anyone larger than normal.

I talked to the manager and pleaded with him to get bigger sizes, he tells me he has no control and can only recommend to the buyers they get bigger sizes. I am told to leave a note (of which there were none lying around I had to ask an employee to find me one) in this dusty old comment box up front that the manager promises he checked just last week...

The manager has told me that I am not the first to complain, to which I replied then why isn't there a single item of clothing for bigger people? Again, I am told it is the buyers and all he can do is pass along the word... So here is my word...

This place discriminates against heavy people and refuses to carry any size larger than a 2XL despite being told repeatedly by larger people there is a need for the items. If you have a social conscience and have read this message I encourage you to please go somewhere else. I am 6'8" and 330 pounds and face accidental discrimination all the time. This however does not seem accidental. The manager himself admitted on numerous occasions he has been told he needs to carry sizes for actual athlete sized people and those pleas have gone ignored.

Of course, its hard to really tell what is true, and what the manager was just making up on the spot to get me out of the door... One thing is clear though... They have no intention on stocking any sizes larger than XXL.

Finally, if you have read this review and my pleas for social justice are not enough for you to not shop here; I encourage you to at least point out to them that they are essentially shaming fat people by telling them they are not welcome in their store by not carrying a single item a overweight person could wear.

I went in with a friend so we could get a workout outfit. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is when you are told there is not one single item in the largest sporting goods store you have ever seen that fits?

This place has really made me feel bad about being big. It is obvious they don't want people there like me and if you are above a 2XL they don't want people like you either...

Hello People, I experienced a wonderful exchange with your employee, Josh Clarke! He was very knowledgeable about all the running shoe offerings of which your store provides to its customers. As a lifelong runner I found it very pleasing to share in our personal running experiences with each other. In learning that he is a cross country coach at a local university here, I was quite impressed and taken by his vast knowledge of the sport of running. I was pleased to know that his direction as a coach/teacher will indeed serve as a role model to younger people and set a precedent for them to practice and live a 'HEALTHY' lifestyle. In just the short time of our exchange I can say without reservation that Josh Clarke is definitely an attribute to your company and will be successful in any business any or personal venture of which he may seek out. Sincerely and Respectfully, Joseph Ojeda, Sports Basementeer member.

Was pretty cool! Got some bike parts and gear. A little disappointed that they didn't have a fishing section.

I walked in and first was a bit put off by the presentation. Nothing is clearly marked and selection is mediocre. Not one single solitary employee walked up to ask if I needed help or greeted me. This was my first and last visit. I run competitively and their sports selection was ridiculous. There were about 3 pairs of soccer shoes, 4 pairs of basketball shoes and running shoes. I have no idea who did the floor plan but he or she needs to be fired.

they will recycle the 1lb propane tanks here which is great!

Great sports supply store in a prior ice rink. Really like going there.

I love this store but will NEVER bring my skis here again. Brought my brand new skiis in to have Phantom wax applied and bindings adjusted. When to pick them up and watcha the tech let them slide off the counter, and after checking found another giant scratch on on the base. The boot I brought in came back filthy. Not what you expect after spending over $200.

You get a lot of stuff, but to little to really have a choice. They have some for everything, but they are not specialized. Definitely good to get the basics

Huge store, friendly staff, free food and drinks (sometimes), and it's in an old ice rink.

A great place for deals on sporting goods and a great atmosphere

Rented snowboarding package, very nice folks but a bit slow setting people up with snowboarding and skiing rental packages.

I got a great deal on a super-nice mountain bike. To top it all off, everyone was incredibly friendly. Milo (in the bike department) let me take several test rides and made SURE I was ready to enjoy my new bike. My experience could not have been better.

On the surface, the staff seemed very friendly and eager to help. The fact that within 60 seconds i had 3 employees asking if i was finding everything okay. I couldnt help feel like they thought i was trying to steal instead of spend 500 dollars. They definately lost future business do to not being observant to other employees checking on me and judging.

The staff at the ski rental department were super helpful and nice! The cashier for items purchased was very friendly!

Great place and staff.
Some decent deals if you catch the sales!
The season ski gear hire and discounted life passes is also really convenient!

Ok deals on sporting equipment, friendly workers, nice rentals

Highly recommend getting a bike here. Really great selection and service that is hard to get anywhere else. Patient and knowledgeable staff will help you get the right bike for you.

Great selection of outdoor recreation equipment, apparel and sporting goods. Also, has a great bike shop and rentals department all with excellent customer service

Huge outdoor and sports store. No frills. Tons of merchandise. Tucked off the main street, but easy access and lots of parking.

I ride my bike 150+ miles a week and am a member of several East Bay bike clubs. I ride plenty and put many miles on the machine. Sports Basement is great. They are my general road repair shop and have several good mechanics. JD and Tito stand out. Not sure of bike fit or equipment purchase, as I tend to only buy fuel and simple items like gloves and bottles. Good discounts if you can wait till seasonal sales. I got a beautiful ski shell for 50% off early last season when it didn't look like we'd get a season. Anyway, I say we support this great regional chain. SB SF is good too! They are the official start of the Coast Ride year in and year out.