Bicycle Center

Bicycle Center of Seattle surprises me that the place is still in business because I stepped inside for an interesting experience…
My background (So you have a basis to my assessment):
I’m a competitive cyclist and have strong product knowledge of bicycle brands from 1985 thru present such as Raleigh, GT, Diamondback, Giant, and Specialized.
Facility:
It does not give you a fresh, welcoming feel. It has the atmosphere, décor and disorganization that completely could have played to the set of a zombie apocalypse movie. Overall, the store is out of touch and would not make you feel great about even spending $ 5.00 for anything.
Bicycles:
Many are outdated and obsolete with regard to their technology however the price still unreasonably high which may explain why there is not much, if any truly new merchandise.
My other concern, whether it is intentional or just lack of knowledge but the bicycles being sold, many do not accurately reflect the year they are made. I list a bike before that was last made in 2001 but it was listed
Here are a list of bicycles that were still there brand new that have never moved:
Univega DS900 for $ 450? This bike is brand new and over ten years old. By this time, you’d need to be concerned about dry suspension seals and the integrity of the suspension oil and spring pliability. Also, tires and tubes dry out too, so that’s an added cost. You can find a better equipped bike for the same price for brand new with the latest and safer technology (i.e. brakes) at any other local bike shop, including, sad to say Harvy’s in Lynnwood.
Service ‘Dept’.
Probably good for kids bicycles where you need a brake adjustment or for commuters who need a shifter or brake cable replaced. But definitely probably not the best shop should you need to install a new fork. Not because they may not be able to do it but something tells me their lack of revenue may lead to higher bill.
Customer service:
I walked in and the guy was watching the Walking Dead and there was no greeting coming in. I feel this guy’s role was more to house sit the store but truly, the owner/​management should have this guy be more productive by setting up displays or reorganizing the store. I pop quizzed him on the products around the store (as if I was naïve) and sadly the guy tried but did not know where the bikes I was asking about were put in the haphazard of bicycle merchandise.
Value:
If you love old mountain bikes, this is your place if you are willing to spend the original MSRP but customers are far better off at Recycled Cycles, Performance Bicycle or Harvy’s. The merchandising is haphazard and many of the products are at MSRP after several years.
Bottom line:
Shop elsewhere unless you want to buy vintage at an unreasonable price.

I’m judging your business based on your driving abilities. You drive like a real jerk! You and I were commuting the same roads and I spotted you frequently speeding, cutting people off, and worst of all, not using your blinker. I didn’t change lanes once, and yet after many miles of watching you struggle with traffic like a dying salmon, you and I were once again neck and neck at the Cathcart Way and Highway 9 intersection. Your methods of driving are rude, reckless, unsafe, and downright unnecessary. Just sit back and go with the flow. You’re not going to get there much sooner by driving like a jerk. And you probably shouldn’t do it while advertising your business on your back window.

Monkey finally dragged the bikes out of storage recently and couldn’t wait to ride again. We ride maybe 3x a year so what do we know? Sure, the wheels are supposed to turn and brakes stop the bike… but these brakes had to be disabled in order to turn the wheels –understand? Spotting the store’s sign from the Burke-​Gilman trail was a Godsend! There’s no telling how long Monkey’s «Flintstone-​style brakes» were gonna hold up.
John, the store owner since 1973, gleefully helped us out with our tweaked «department store» bikes even though he already had another bike on the rack. His store is stocked with a varied inventory for kids and adults, racks, parts, lights and even electric bikes… Monkey indebted to John’s time, friendliness, knowledge and totally saving the day!
Monkey will definitely return for that bike rack and eventually, a «real» bike or two.

Bicycle Center of Seattle is conveniently located just off the Burke gilman trail. It’s a family general purpose bike shop, so if you are a bike snob roadie, you are better off elsewhere.
The owner, is a long time veteran of the bicycle industry. They now sell electric bikes. John the owner was able to answer all my questions and recommend a suitable model for me. The bike was tuned and adjusted perfecty when I picked it up. I couldn’t imagine a better experience.
It’s not a tidy, trendy store, I learned the place survived a major fire several years back. If you want a no frills, quality bike sales and service experience this is a great place.

I visited this bike shop twice. The staff seems put out when you come in. From reading other posts, you get good service if you are purchasing a bike but if you need repair or parts not so much. I will not go there again.

The owner is a complete jerk. If you care about customer service and expect an owner who is a decent human being, then don’t shop here!
You can tell a lot of a person by the way they treat strangers and the owner dinged my car in a parking lot and refused to apologize saying that he didn’t know that he did it even though I was sitting in the car and saw and heard it before confronting him.
It is not wise to drive around a Jeep Grand Cherokee advertising The Bicycle Center all over it and treat people like crap and curse at them when they are just asking for an apology.

I WILL NEVER BUY FROM THIS SHOP AGAIN! THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS AND WILL NOT HONOR THE MANUFACTURER WARRANTY!
I bought a new Raleigh Supercourse 2006 bike, which the owner claims it is a 2008, from this shop in April, 2011. I got my bike tune-​up in June by Bicycle Center. On the STP in July, 2011, I got a broken spoke so I return to the shop to report this to the owner. He says the spoke or wheel are not covered under the warranty. He charged me $ 40 for the repair. He replaced the broken spoke with a stainless steel spoke even though the rest are all black spokes. He didn’t even bother to tell me the spoke they’ve replaced did not match the original spoke.
Another spoke broke about two weeks later so I took my bike to Wright Bros. Cycle Works at Fremont instead and Charles, the owner, repaired the three spokes (replaced the broken spoke, another weak spoke and the stainless steel spoke) for $ 20! By the way, Charles did an excellent repair job.
It is now August, 2011, and two more spokes broke during my commute to Seattle. I called the owner of Bicycle Center and he again told me the wheel is NOT covered under the one-​year warranty. I called the Raleigh America Inc and the representative said that is not true and it is under warranty. Since Bicycle Center was so uncooperative, I had to take my bike to another local dealer, Recycled Cycles, as recommended by Raleigh America Inc.
I don’t understand why the Bicycle Center owner was so uncooperative to do the warranty repair. After all, the repair or replacement will be done by Raleigh America Inc.

This place offers a decent selection of bikes with a limited selection of accessories. Still, the staff is friendly and is willing to answer your questions and give you advise when needed. You can tell that these guys know what they are talking about and enjoy what they do.
The location is just far enough out of the way of U Village to keep it from being overrun with customers, so you are more likely to be able to get more face time with the staff. They are also pet friendly for your animal companions. The prices here also seemed a bit cheaper than usual, which is a plus if you can find what you’re looking for. As I mentioned earlier, their selection of accessories is kind of small, but they are still worth checking out because they might have what you are looking for at a cheaper rate.
Plus, I can tell you that they have great customer service for returns since I had to return a helmet; they let me make an exchange to items of equal value with no hassle and helped in answering questions about what I was picking out. The owner was very helpful and didn’t treat me any different for wanting to do an exchange.
Overall, Bicycle Center is a solid choice for friendly service with a knowledgeable staff and a good selection of bikes, including electric bikes. It’s not really worth going out of your way for, but I would stop by if you are in the area.

NO BIKE RENTALS
I am sure this is a great bike shop so I won’t bring down the current starrage, but it was listed on Unilocal as a place that RENTS bikes. I just called and they said they don’t rent due to insurance reasons.
I’ll keep looking!

What a great location for a bike shop!
They are right off the Burke-​Gilman trail in the University District. Which is great if you need a tune-​up, some extra gear or even have an emergency.
The store has a nice variety of bikes. Mountain, Road, and a few choices in children’s bikes. They also carry some nice extras like helmets, seats, water bottles. No bike clothes and they don’t carry tons of variety in some items.
The staff was incredibly nice and friendly. We were really happy with the child bike seat we got. They carry the best one on the market and had it at an amazing price. And we got great new tires for the trail.
I will definitely be back for my tune up and bike needs!

Ditto to the former’s remarks of this homey Bike Center near Children’s hospital. I’ve had great shop service here as well. So, if you need a tune-​up or repair, stop in and they’ll get you set up. Also sell unicycles for all those little circus performers running around!