Aaron’s Bicycle Repair, Inc.

Amazing resource for internal geared hubs – both the knowledge and parts selection are top notch. It’s great to be able to get even the smallest, outdated Sturmey Archer parts from a local source.

My favorite Seattle bike shop. The only place to go if you have internally geared hubs — they are experts. They do high-​quality work on the spot, quickly, and for a much too reasonable price. They never try to sell you work or stuff that you don’t need. In fact they will talk you out of buying stuff you don’t need.
The shop is incredibly well stocked. They probably have what they need to fix your bike. It is very neat and organized.
You know that feeling when you take your bike to a shop and the work done is so pathetic that you would have done a better job yourself and you know that you are a crap bike mechanic? That never happens here. Ever. Just go to Aaron’s.
If you do know more than these guys, you should probably do the work yourself. I would be disappointed if I had traveled a long way only to arrive at lunch time. And if your phone was dead and you had no way of knowing in advance, well, that sucks. But the hours are very clearly listed many, many places. It’s not a hospital and you are not about to die. Everyone who works has a right to a lunch hour. Get over it.

I’m guessing it was Aaron I spoke with. What a jerk. He quoted me at 300.00+ for a tune up (not including parts). He was rude to everyone who came in, and he acted like he was the smartest person on the planet. Really annoying guy with really high prices. I definitely do not recommend this place. Try Hello Bike on beacon hill.

If you need a bike mechanic this is the only place to go. They aren’t going to try talk you in to the newest fad, but what they will do is fix your bike right the 1^st time! I had my bike to 3 different shops before I was told about these guys. Each shop before them made my bike worse and worse. Finally I went in and they had my bike Rollin like it was band new… And it is a 1970s Peugeot. Such a beautiful thing! I’ll never visit another shop.

My son came home with an old cruiser bike. He rode it for years, it sat out in the rain, the usual Seattle stuff.
Now that he’s moved to LA, I had a chance to look the bike over. Turns out it has a Sachs Automatic rear hub, built around 1980. Online, I learned they are rare and desirable. I also learned that Aaron’s Bicycle Repair shop is a wellspring of knowledge and parts regarding multi-​speed rear hubs.
The rear wheel would spin, slowly, and shift hesitantly. I could not get the axle nut off, so I took it to Aaron’s. They had the special wrench required and removed the nut.
Back home I determined the reason it spun so slowly was a missing bearing cage. Someone had filled the space with ball bearings, but to make good contact with the shaft requires the little cage.
So I’ll be heading back to Aaron’s soon. It’s a great shop.

Have had great experience with this shop! Everyone is always so helpful and laid back. The part selection is fantastic as well! They’ve helped my son and I finalize our project bike idea, and always are willing to talk shop. Highly recommended!

These guys really, really, know exactly what they are doing. If you have something esoteric, unusual, or just plain weird, including weird franken-​bikes that you built in your own garage, they can help. They’ll close up just to help you and stay late, just for you. Aaron is super-​knowledgeable and can fix, or re-​do, ANYTHING. If you don’t know where else to go, this is the place.

I’ve been going to to Aaron’s Bicycle Repair for about three years, where my first purchase was a helmet. After not spending much time on a bike since I was kid, Greg spent about 40 minutes with me talking about bikes and helmets, and helped me figure out what would best for me. I appreciate the knowledge and passion possessed by the the guys who work there, and I have found all of the mechanics that I’ve encountered to be friendly and helpful. They also has two cats who live at the shop, which is just another reason I think this business is awesome.
In the time since picking up the helmet, I’ve purchased two bikes for my husband and I that were fitted in the shop and we’ve visited Aaron’s Bicycle Repair for all of the parts and repairs we’ve needed since. Even after the store moved and another bike shop opened closer to our house, I still visit Aaron’s Bicycle Repair because they do such great work.

Excellent work. Aaron set me up with good parts and even helped me set up my pannier rack even though I bought it elsewhere. They offered me coffee and were friendly while I waited as they patiently explained bike care to parents of little cyclists. I love knowing I can trust my mechanic (important for bombing down highland park way) Aaron and Gregg are great but they won’t put up with ridiculous customer service requests. My advice to complainers; No service person should have to lick your ignorant taint after you violate posted store policies. Read the signs dummy!

Aaron’s is miles out of the way for me. It’s a small shop in a strip mall in White Center. I know bikes and have more of them then I’d like to admit. Most of the time I do my own work.
But if you have a bike w an internal geared rear hub, Shimano Nexus, Alfine, etc, there is no better place to go in Seattle, Tacoma or probably Western Washington. Those hubs are great but complex and need annual cleaning and lube work. I’ve taken bikes to Greenlake and Dutch Bike, and neither has the knowledge, parts, or skill that Aaron and his mechanics have.
I think the negative reviews that focus on Aaron are from people who don’t appreciate his intense enthusiasm and involvement in what’s going on mechanically. He’s a straight shooter. He likes to talk about what he does and share the knowledge.
This shop is a total find, Doubt me? Next time you go into another bike take a look for their lathe and machining tools to really do deep work on worn and rusted parts. You won’t equipment like that in other shops or mechanics who know how to use them. This guy is good.
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Just read the rest of the reviews and came back to add this. You know, there’s another side to the person who was pissed off over the $ 3 charge to tighten a nut. First, there may well have been more to this story but the thing that really struck me was the arrogance of someone who came into a shop expecting free work and who got pissed when they didn’t get it. And he had the skill and knowledge to know what you thought was a big deal wasn’t. Come on now. Grow up.

I brought in my bike to be adjusted for my taller son and they set me up. All for a moderate fee compared to getting a new bike. I learned so much about bikes and maintenance while they did all the work on my bike. I had immediate and informative service. I think the staff there is really nice and will get all my bike work done there for now on.

I brought my old bike in to see if they could make it rideable, and they did, while I waited. The price was more than fair and there were cats to pet, and an interesting space to look at. Even my dumb questions about the bike didn’t phase them, and they took the time to tell me about some local biking resources. I’m glad there’s a nice shop like this so close to where I live, and where I don’t feel like an outsider because I’m just a ride-​through-​the-​park newbie.

I’m not going to get very flowery with my review. Let’s keep it simple.
They know how to fix bikes and are good at it.
They can normally repair your bike when you bring it in, without a 1 – 2 week delay like other shops.
They will repair worn parts rather than sell you new ones (unless needed).
They offer free advice, sometimes unsolicited, which you can heed or ignore. Your choice.
I’ve had a few really good repair experiences here. They include:
* Having exactly the right kind of special nut to clamp my derailer cable after I stripped it.
* Selling me an axle that would fit my rear hub and telling me how to cut it to length without damaging the threads (I wanted to do the work myself this time).
* Grinding and polishing the cones from my rear hub on the lathe to better than new condition when they were pitted and gouged.
* Reaming the seat tube of a damaged frame to the next size up because the standard size post was too small (stretched tube? not sure how this happened).
* Cleaning/​polishing the seat post I brought in on the bench grinder/​polisher to help it fit and make it look nice when installed in the reamed out seat tube — I didn’t ask for polishing and they didn’t charge me for it.
This is THE place to go if you need weird little bike parts, or are at your wit’s end dealing with some uncommon bike problem. They’re also great for all the standard stuff. They have stuff for sale of course, but Aaron’s is more about bike repair than shopping.
I wish they were open on Sundays. As it is, I only visit on Saturdays and sometimes that’s inconvenient for me. Oh well.
They also do some fun stuff like organize free evening rides when there is a full moon. All riders and all bike types accepted. That’s cool.

A true mechanics bike shop with knowledgable staff and two of the friendliest shop cats! If you want your bike repaired, built, or advised correctly the first time, go to Aaron’s.
Ok, can Aaron be a little gruff at times? Yes. However, he knows his stuff and once you get to know him you will see that he is a great guy. As far as West Seattle’s friendliest bike shop? Greg, the manager, is pretty damn friendly!

Good selection and GREAT customer Service. Aaron has fixed stuff I didn’t know was about to break, has an old schrod peddle swedging tool when I came in holding the pedal in one hand and the bike in the other, and made triple sure that the fenders I got for my 1979 loaner bike were mounted exactly. Greg saved a bike trip to Vashion by opening the shop like 30 minutes early for us on our way to the ferry.
Aaron’s gets 90% of my considerable seattle bike business. The new location in White center is a drive for me, but I still make the trip when I can’t sort something or or need a retail part.

I’ve learned two things lately…
1. Be very wary of buying a bike off Craigslist with an Internal Gear Hub… especially if the guy says «I recently ‘overhauled’ it myself»
2. IF that does happen to you, send it to Aaron’s Bicycle Repair!
Sent my wheel/​hub up from California and once the USPS decided they wanted to get it there, Aaron’s had it fixed up and sent back quickly. It did end up costing a bit more than I expected but the repair was worth it and I’m back on the road!

I gotta say there is nothing more enjoyable to me than watching a craftsman at work — and that is just what the amazing bike technicians are at Arron’s: fine craftsman who enjoy their work.
We travel to seattle a lot, and ever since spotting the owner on his Big Dummy (I ride one as well) at Alki Beach, we make a point of stopping by the shop whenever we are in town. Their excellent advice and patient labors have transformed our Bike Friday NWT bikes from fun to fantastic (well installed fenders, fantastic tires, slimed tubes, and a kick-​ass bike bell). If the shop is really busy there is plenty of great stuff to poke through while you wait, along with two friendly cats to keep you company.

Short review: Know what you want and what you need and you will be treated with respect.
Long review: I have to say I’m not surprised by the 1 star ratings. But I do think they some of them may be motivated by another bike shop up the street. Why? Because the owner of that shop ranted to us about Aaron when we were there.
Husband and I come to W. Seattle for biz a lot from Hawaii. We saw Aaron on a Big Dummy last year and got to talking to him. Even made a point to stop at his shop and bought a prototype kick stand for out own Big Dummy back in Hawaii. Super helpful when we were there.
6 months later we are back in W. Seattle. We had 2 Bike Friday’s made and shipped to us. We needed a little help getting the new fenders on as we didn’t have all the tools in the office. The «other» shop tells us it will take a week. Aaron’s is closed that night. So we swing by the other shop to pickup some spare tubes. He rants about Aaron’s basically warning us about him being an ass. Then sells us 2 tubes without even looking at the tire size.
2 days later we head to Aaron’s as they said they would happily put on our fenders for us and check the bikes over. (Unlike the other shop) On our way there, we get a flat. The new tube we have turns out to be totally the wrong size. Luckily we have an old patch kit that just gets us to Aaron’s with only 20 minutes to spare.
No, they weren’t happy about doing the fenders for us that late in the day, but they did it. And they did a good job. We also set up a time for us to come back and get the hub lubed really well. In lieu of this extra work they did for us after the shop closed, we filled up a growler for them.
And yes, we will be back as they are bringing in some tires and the correct sized tubes for us. The wrong ones that the dork up the street sold us? Aaron’s bought them back from us and applied the amount to the work they did.
Where in this story would a 1 star be handed out? This is the kind of service that makes this place awesome. I’d love to have them in Hawaii because they know their shit, and they can fix, re-​build or repair just about anything you throw their way.

Walked in there ready to buy a metal basket, which don’t run cheap. That’s gotta be a high margin item. Well, almost as soon as I walked in there they kicked me out because it was their lunch. The store closes from 2 – 3 weekdays.
I normally bike commute to work so having the car is a rare treat for me. Although driving an hour in mid-​day traffic to try out this shop was far from a treat. To have it close as soon as I got there was so, so annoying. Even more annoying was the fact that there were TWO people working the shop. You guys ever hear of going to lunch in shifts? Sure the hours are on their site, clearly stating that they are closed from 2 – 3 for lunch. I know how to check store hours like a big boy. But who the hell closes from 2 – 3 for lunch? This isn’t France. If it was I would have checked the MFing hours first.
In the 10 minutes I was there however I got treated to a guy not really listening to what I was looking for and just searching Cambria Bike Outfitters telling me there was no such thing. I got home and found what I needed on that site in 10 seconds.
I love bike shops. I try to give them my business. It’s why I drove all the way over to W. Seattle. Bad service, lame hours, a bit of an attitude will keep me from ever going back.

Definitely not the place to go if you’re looking for a large selection of bikes and customer service. Is it really necessary to be rude to patrons? Unless you’re a bike guru this is NOT the shop to go. And the retail items in the shop looks like they are marked up about 300%. I understand small bike shops are not big Walmart’s and Costco’s but seriously though… I don’t frequent local bike shops to be patronized… I don’t mind paying a little more for quality customer service. I didn’t get it here.
I’d rather make the trip to another bike shop for help the next time I need anything to do with my bike.